Immigration

Floor Speech

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Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I think it is safe to say it has been a disappointing week. I kept my commitment and set aside the entire week for a broad and productive debate over DACA, border security, and other important immigration issues. My friend the Democratic leader, the assistant Democratic leader, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus-- everyone agrees that I held up my end of the bargain.

Back in December, I stated that if a bill that stood a chance of becoming law were ready in January, I would bring it to the floor. No such proposal was produced.

Then, in January, when Democrats shut down the government over this issue, I offered to dedicate this week--this week that we have been in--to an immigration debate and a fair amendment process. I just did that, but the same Democrats failed to produce a solution and, instead, spent the better part of the week objecting to any votes in the Senate.

I thought we might be able to resolve this. I was hoping we could reach a bipartisan solution that could pass the Senate, pass the House, and earn President Trump's signature. But, once again, when the hour came to actually make law instead of just making political points, our friends across the aisle were either unable or unwilling to get something done. After all the talk--all the talk--they hardly came to the table at all.

I supported the plan introduced by Chairman Grassley and several other cosponsors. It fleshed out the President's framework, pairing a more than generous solution for 1.8 million illegal immigrants with commonsense steps to reform legal immigration, secure the border, and help law enforcement keep Americans safe.

In my view, the President came a very long way--clearly, more than halfway--to meet the Democrats on this issue. In exchange for a pathway to citizenship--not just legal status, but a pathway to citizenship-- for nearly 2 million individuals, he sensibly wanted to reform pieces of our broken immigration system, secure our border, and make it harder for violent criminals and repeat offenders to prey on American citizens. That is more than a fair bargain--more than a fair bargain.

I thought our friends across the aisle would jump at this opportunity to fulfill what they say is their top priority, but they just couldn't take yes for an answer. They turned away from a golden opportunity to solve the issue. They decided they would rather come away emptyhanded, with no resolution whatsoever for the 1.8 million individuals they say they are championing, than accept a reasonable compromise with the President of the United States.

Even though this week has been squandered, this does not have to be the end of our efforts to resolve these matters. I would encourage Members to put away the talking points and get serious about finding a solution that can actually become law.

I remain eager to improve our immigration policy. If a solution is developed in the future that can pass both the House and the Senate and be signed into law by the President, it should be considered. But for that to happen, Democrats will need to take a second look at these core elements of necessary reform.

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