Removal Clarification Act of 2010

Floor Speech

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Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I would like to take a moment to discuss my vote today against ending debate on the Dream Act, a bill that would provide legal status to millions of people in this country who are illegally present. Before I discuss the substance of the bill, I want to express my frustration on the process of how this bill was brought to the floor for a vote. This bill has been around for nearly 10 years. In 2003, the Senate Judiciary Committee considered and debated the bill, and voted to send it to the full Senate for consideration. It didn't pass at that time, and since then, not one hearing has taken place on the legislation.

The bill we considered today was the sixth version of the Dream Act that we have seen in the last 2 months. Five of the six versions were introduced and immediately put on the calendar, bypassing the committee process. The Judiciary Committee, of which I am a member, didn't have the opportunity to debate it or make it better. Instead, the full Senate was asked to consider the bill as written, without the ability to amend it. You see, the majority leader used his ability to block all amendments through a process known as ``filling the tree.'' This procedure means that no amendments could be in order. No improvements could have been made. The democratic process was effectively blocked.

Now, allow me to express some concerns that I have had about this version of the bill. The Dream Act would legalize an unlimited number of people who are here illegally, including the relatives of the alien that applies. It would put millions of individuals not just young people on a path to citizenship. The bill also leaves the door open to more fraud and abuse of our immigration system. It leaves a lot of discretion to the Secretary of Homeland Security, including authority to waive bars of inadmissibility. This latest version of this legislation provides very few assurances that criminal aliens would be barred from applying. The Dream Act, according to the Congressional Budget Office has a $5 billion price tag, and could require hard-working Americans to foot the bill for this amnesty program. The bill fails to require individuals to graduate from college or to complete their military service, even though proponents claim that this is the sole mission of the bill. Finally, one of the most alarming provisions of the bill allows aliens who apply, no matter how frivolous their claim, to be granted safe harbor from enforcement officials by prohibiting the Secretary of Homeland Security from removing an alien who has a pending application.

I agree that we should take a hard look at protecting the youth who are forced to come here illegally, unaware of the consequences. However, we also need to be conscious of those people standing in line, all around the world, who follow the law and wait their turn to come here legally. This bill just wouldn't be fair to those people.

Congress and this administration must come to terms with the immigration problems we have. We need true reform of our immigration laws, starting with border security and enforcement of the laws already on the books. We need to consider changes to our legal immigration system, including expanding or improving visa programs, to make sure people are incentivized to come in legally rather than illegally. These reforms will make the system better for future generations because a short term amnesty program as proposed by the Dream Act--doesn't solve the underlying problem.

I voted against ending debate today because I believe this bill required serious deliberation. I thought we deserved to have amendments considered. It is unfortunate that the majority attempted to push this bill through at the final hour, circumventing the democratic process that allows for amendments and serious debate on an issue that would dramatically undermine our rule of law.

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