Kennedy Responds to GOP legislation

Senator Kennedy just issued a statement in response to the GOP's ridiculous new immigration legislation.

KENNEDY RENEWS FIGHT FOR IMMIGRATION REFORM

(As Entered into the Record)

I regret to see that the Republicans are at it again-offering unworkable solutions to complex immigration issues that only make the problem worse and cater to the basest instincts of the far right fringe.

For seven years, Republicans have failed to fix the broken immigration system, offering only empty rhetoric and unrealistic proposals.

Democrats recognize that our country deserves better - we need to overhaul our broken system, uphold our values as a nation of immigrants, ensure our national security and protect American jobs.

It is unacceptable to have 12 million people in our country who are outside the system. Our illegal immigration problem has skyrocketed because employers know they can get away with breaking the law and abusing illegal workers. And the past seven years have shown us that deportation alone is not the solution.

It is time to stop coddling employers who break our laws and undercut American workers. It is time to make sure employers follow our immigration and labor laws so that the law is respected, wages are fair, working conditions are decent, workers' rights are valued, and unscrupulous employers are punished. And it is time to treat immigrants with the dignity and respect that they deserve.

I have to ask why the Republicans have failed to address these very real problems. They controlled Congress for six years. They've occupied the White House for almost eight years. Where have they been this whole time?

I can tell you where they've been. They've been cynically using the immigration problem to stir up local resentment and fear to divert attention away from their inaction. They've vilified immigrants, especially Latinos, making them the new unwanted class, the new untouchables. They've tried to convince Americans that declaring English the official language will solve our problems, when in fact English is already our national language, but the government sometimes needs to use other languages to respond to health care and law enforcement emergencies. They've engaged in targeted attacks on people who are contributing to our communities.

Click here to read the full statement on Senator Kennedy's website.