FOX News Channel - Transcript

Interview

FOX News Channel

MS. HILL: Is the border fence going to get built or not? Well, that's what a lot of Americans wonder after Congress voted to build it. But now Congress needs to pass the SAVE Act to fund the new immigration agents, the judges to hear immigration cases, and the plan to make U.S. employers verify legal status.

The trouble is, 41 members of Congress who technically are cosponsors of the SAVE Act are actually blocking it from getting voted on. Why?

Representative Brian Bilbray of California joins me live. He serves as the chair of the Immigration Reform Caucus. Thank you for being with us.

REP. BILBRAY: I'm honored to be with you, E.D.

MS. HILL: Well, you know, I know that you need 218 signatures to bring the SAVE Act to a vote. You're 33 short. So why are these 41 members, who already signed on to the bill, not willing to sign the discharge petition to get it voted on?

REP. BILBRAY: Well, they obviously thought it was a good enough idea to cosponsor it. And I think that the problem is in Washington, it's easy to get on a bill, but when the Democratic leadership or your political leadership doesn't give you an okay to vote, it's really the cross between responding to your constituents' concern and responding to your political direction here in D.C. And I think the key is that those members haven't heard from their constituents. There was a reason why they signed on to this bill, and that's because they want to get reelected, they -- because their constituents want this done. And now it's time that people call their congressman and say, look, do the right thing, bring this up for a vote so we can get to the number one source of illegal immigration -- and that's not the border; it's actually people hiring people who are coming here illegally.

MS. HILL: Okay. Reading between the lines there, it sounds like they're trying to play both sides against the middle. They can go to their constituents and say, "See, I cosponsored this," but then behind the scenes, because they won't attach their name to this petition, it will never come up for a vote. So they can also do what it sounds like you're saying the party leadership is telling them, and that is block it. Is that true?

REP. BILBRAY: And that is the bait and switch, and this is where --

MS. HILL: Oh, that makes me mad!

REP. BILBRAY: -- they really have to prove that they're willing to vote with their constituents and not sell out to political pressure from Washington.

MS. HILL: Who's doing it? Who do people need to contact?

REP. BILBRAY: Well, you've got -- yeah, you need to really call up and see if their member of Congress has signed on to the SAVE Act and has signed the petition to bring the SAVE Act up. And it's a very moderate bill, E.D. It's just simple things like stop giving tax deductions to the people who are hiring illegals. I mean, that's an outrage.

MS. HILL: Yeah, and hiring enough Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents to actually deal with a border fence if we ever get it built.

REP. BILBRAY: Absolutely.

MS. HILL: So you call your member -- member of the House of Representatives or the Senate and you ask them, are you on this, and they tell you "I'm a cosponsor," that's not good enough. You've got to ask them, "Have you signed the petition to bring the SAVE Act to a vote?" Is that accurate?

REP. BILBRAY: Absolutely. In fact, the clerk of the House of Representatives can -- you can go on the computer, and they will give -- that will show the list of those who have signed the discharge petition on the SAVE Act.

MS. HILL: Okay. Thank you very much for helping us --

REP. BILBRAY: Thank you very much. And this is a chance for the American people to do something positive about illegal immigration. And we stopped amnesty last year, but now is the time to go on the offensive and finally address the issue rather than just complaining about it.

MS. HILL: Yeah, well, it just makes me mad that there are people out there who are purporting to be doing one thing and, in fact, are doing something completely different in D.C.

REP. BILBRAY: This town does this too much, but here's the time to make them draw the line.

MS. HILL: All right. Thank you very much for joining us.

REP. BILBRAY: Thank you, E.D.

MS. HILL: Representative Brian Bilbray.

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