COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM ACT OF 2007 -- (Senate - May 25, 2007)
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Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I thank my colleagues for allowing me to speak
briefly. I have proposed an amendment which I believe is very important to this bill to cut the automatic path to citizenship. It is filed at the desk, and I will call it up later.
Citizenship is the most sacred gift Americans can provide. It should not serve as a reward to those who broke the law to enter or remain in this country. The path to citizenship is at the heart of the amnesty criticism of this bill. Cutting this path cuts out the most severe complaint about this bill.
I supported the Vitter amendment yesterday to strike the entire program proposed to deal with 12 million illegal aliens in the country. Unfortunately, that amendment was rejected. So today I propose a much more targeted, focused amendment to strike the controversial aspect of the proposal to give the award of citizenship to those 12 million illegal aliens.
Whatever we end up doing with those 12 million illegal aliens, it does not require the further step of giving them a path to citizenship ahead of others. Those 12 million illegal aliens came to this country to work without the expectation of becoming citizens. More illegal aliens will come to this country on a temporary basis to work without expectation of citizenship. There is no need to grant these people the gift of citizenship.
Specifically, my amendment will strike the contents of section 602 on earned adjustment of Z status aliens, replacing it with a prohibition on issuing an immigrant visa to Z nonimmigrants which is currently in the bill and a prohibition of adjusting a Z nonimmigrant to legalize permanent resident or so-called green card holder.
In this way, the path to citizenship is cut off. I urge the Senate to call up and adopt this amendment. I believe it will enable other goals in the bill to be accomplished without giving the amnesty path to citizenship.
I yield the floor and I thank my colleagues.
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