CNN Lou Dobbs Tonight-Transcript
DOBBS: Senator Ben Nelson, Democrat, says he won't support any bill that supports amnesty. The senator's voted for the amendment aimed at striking down the temporary worker program. And the senator says his top priority is boarder security. He joins us tonight from Washington, D.C., of course. Senator, good to have you with us.
SEN. BEN NELSON, (D) NEBRASKA: Thank you, Lou.
DOBBS: We have just reported that over in the House, that the war funding legislation has passed with amendments raising, of course, the minimum wage. Your reaction?
NELSON: Well, it's the -- essentially the bill that the Senate sent over. Particularly as it relates to Iraq and the benchmarks that are going to be placed on the Iraqi government to comply with in order to have really what I think will be the conditions for remaining in Iraq.
DOBBS: Let's turn now to the issue of, I don't know what to call it, this grand compromise, grand bargain. Senator, what in the world are your colleagues thinking in that chamber? I mean, I have been talking to a number of senators this week, from both parties, and I detect a certain reserve and a certain amount of embarrassment at what is being carried out in that chamber.
NELSON: Well, I'm very concerned about it because I think, and I've said this for a long time, that we need to secure that border. Before we start talking about what we do with the people who are here illegally. If we are going to close the back door to legal immigration as we will by securing the border, then we can open the front door to legal immigration.
It's a three-step process. Step one and step two go together. Secure the border, cure the problems with legal immigration, and then, hold and penned illegal immigration and what you do with those here illegally once you got the border secure to keep more from coming across the border.
DOBBS: In point of fact, is this not a statement of fact? If we were to enforce existing U.S. immigration law, correctly fund and staff those enforcement agencies, both at the border, the ports and internally. And, at the same time, secure our borders as is the requirement by the oaths of office that you in the Senate and those in the House and the president of the United States take, wouldn't we be where we need to be?
NELSON: Absolutely. But we can't, we shouldn't enter into an amnesty agreement. All the talk about amnesty and there are those that are saying it isn't, it is amnesty. That's only going to encourage more people to come across the border illegally to try to get here while they can.
DOBBS: And that is the evidence and the testimony of so many in this.
I want to bring up one other thing. You are co-sponsoring Senator Cornyn's amendment to prevent the legalization, amnesty, for absconders, for terrorists, violent criminals, known gang members. We've been waiting for that vote all afternoon. We're told that a number of those leaders in that grand compromise coalition don't like it. What's going on, senator?
NELSON: Well, you know, we found that loophole where these gang members, terrorists, sex offenders who haven't registered, all kinds of people that you don't want to have in your country could get a waiver to be here permanently. The people who shouldn't be here at all.
DOBBS: So what in the world would be the delay to vote on that?
NELSON: Well, I'm not sure why there's a delay, but I think we'll get our vote on it up it. It will probably be right after the break because Senator Cornyn and I are not going to give up on it. You just simply can't have that kind of a loophole in this legislation.
DOBBS: Well, it says something, does it not, senator, about the atmosphere in that chamber that that wouldn't be an automatic yes vote.
NELSON: I wouldn't even -- I think you could do it by unanimous content. I wouldn't even think you'd have to put it to a vote. So we're going to continue to press real hard on it. There was some question about what the language meant today. I think we got through that. We're going to press hard, we're not going to give up on it. Just in case the legislation should pass.
DOBBS: Well, do you it will?
NELSON: I don't know at this point in time. I think I would have bet earlier that was going to. Now, I think there's people are starting to cool to it a little bit, but I just don't know.
DOBBS: Well, that in and of itself, it is uncertain that this kind of nonsense would be permitted in this great body that the Senate once considered a great deliberative body. I mean, that speaks volumes as well. Senator Ben Nelson, we thank you for being with us here.
NELSON: My pleasure, Lou, thank you very much.
DOBBS: Thank you.