Bipartisan Immigration Reform

Floor Speech

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Mr. SORENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Escobar for hosting this important discussion.

I would be remiss if I didn't say that your home State of Texas is the only State that I have ever lived outside of my own home State of Illinois. So, I have a soft spot for the Lone Star State.

Mr. Speaker, I stand here proud to cosponsor the Dignity Act tonight, which is the only bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform bill that currently exists in the House of Representatives.

This legislation is critical. It does just what we need. It secures our border, strengthens our economy, creates an orderly and humane path to legal status for those who follow U.S. law, and gives law enforcement the tools they need to stop the flow of fentanyl that is hurting and killing members of our families and our neighbors.

Make no mistake, I am deeply concerned with what is happening at the southern border. It is now Congress' time to act.

Since the moment I was sworn in, I have tried to work as hard as I can with both sides of the aisle to find solutions to complex problems. I have proposed legislation to increase the number of Customs and Border Protection officers that patrol our southern border. I have proposed legislation that would help identify the fentanyl that is coming into our country. I found Republican colleagues, Republican friends, to come together because we need to work together.

Unfortunately, House GOP leadership has rejected all of the bipartisan ideas.

I am a believer that to get things done here in Congress, we need to listen to the perspectives of both sides. In this Congress, the bipartisan path has been the only way that we have gotten results.

That is how we have been able to fund the government, prevent a catastrophic debt default, pass a bill to lower taxes for businesses and working families.

We have tried the partisan-only path to solving the immigration and border problem, but that does not work. Securing our border and fixing our immigration system must be done on a bipartisan basis.

Now, there are Members of Congress, especially my colleagues here on the floor right now, who want to solve the problem, but there are some in the House and the Senate GOP who want to strong-arm us, using the border as a political football in the ultimate display of gamesmanship.

Just yesterday, a bipartisan group of Senators released a plan to secure the border and fix our broken immigration system.

This compromised proposal is aggressive about tackling the challenges that we see at the border without straying from our Nation's core values.

The Senate plan makes our country safer; it makes our border more secure; and it treats people fairly and humanely.

But less than a day after its release, before most Members have even had a chance to read it, House GOP leadership said it is dead on arrival in the House.

Now, let's call it what it is: It is a display of inaction that puts politics in front of any solution.

The choice is clear: Do we choose to solve the problem in a bipartisan way, or do we allow Members across the aisle just to continue to refuse to consider the solution at all?

The latter is not what the people sent us here to do. In my district, in central and northwestern Illinois, my neighbors expect us to come here and solve problems, not to ignore them for political gain.

I have families in my district who have an empty seat at their dinner table because they lost a loved one to fentanyl.

And the House GOP leadership's response to that family is: Let's put the upcoming election in front of hurting families. That, Mr. Speaker, is as pathetic as it is selfish.

But the good news is, Speaker Johnson has another chance. He can work with us to put the Dignity Act up for a vote. Passing a bipartisan bill will show the American people we are serious about solving this problem.

I can think of few other examples where Democrats and Republicans have come together on such a difficult topic to propose bipartisan legislation that will secure our border, reform our immigration system, and put us on a sustainable path to solving the issues.

We can be the Congress to do it. We can create security for our Nation and for the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I ask Speaker Johnson to give us the chance to do what we need. Bring the Dignity Act to the floor. Let us debate it, let us vote on it, and let's work together to solve the problem.

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