Dr. Coburn Disappointed Senate Rushing Consideration of Flawed Immigration Bill

Press Release

U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-OK) released the following statement today after voting against a procedural motion to proceed to an immigration proposal that will offer amnesty to the nation's estimated 12 million illegal immigrants. The Senate voted 69-23 to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to S. 1348.

"The American people want Congress to fix our broken immigration system, but this bill takes the wrong approach. Offering amnesty to illegal immigrants and not taking steps to secure our borders is the wrong way to approach immigration reform and will only postpone meaningful reform," Dr. Coburn said.

"It is wrong for the Senate to rush consideration of a bill few senators have had time to read," Dr. Coburn added. "The bill is several hundred pages long and only was given to senators early Saturday morning. There have been no committee hearings, no cost estimates or public comment on the proposed legislation. Only a handful of senators were involved in negotiating this bill. This is a complex issue that deserves a vigorous debate."

"America is a welcoming nation, but one that is based upon the rule of law. Tolerating illegal immigration serves only to undermine the law and threatens our national security. We must give our law enforcement officials the resources and authority to combat illegal immigration before Congress takes any steps to grant amnesty to illegal immigrants," Dr. Coburn said.

"America needs a working immigration system in order to keep our economy strong. Yet, granting amnesty to 12 million illegal immigrants will decrease wages for American workers and eliminate American jobs," Dr. Coburn said.

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