CHAMBLISS SAYS IMMIGRATION DEAL POSITIVE STEP BUT FINAL BILL MUST CONTAIN KEY PROVISIONS

May 17, 2007

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., made the following statement regarding the bipartisan immigration deal announced today. Both Chambliss and his Georgia colleague, U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., have been part of a group of senators meeting regularly to negotiate the agreement along with U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez.

“The bipartisan immigration deal announced today is a step in the right direction toward reaching a final, comprehensive immigration bill. However, certain criteria must be met in order for this legislation to receive my final support. My top priority in this debate is border security, because if we do not secure the border then we will fail to address a serious national security issue and we will fail to prevent future illegal immigration. The bill must not include a new pathway to citizenship for people who have come here illegally; rather, those who have come here illegally must go home and get in the back of the line if they want to apply for a green card.

“Finally, any temporary worker program must be just that – temporary - and American workers and American wages must not be harmed by a temporary worker program. Employers must be provided with a fool-proof verification system to ensure that prospective employees are legal, and once a system is created, employers who refuse to verify the status of their employees or who knowingly hire illegal workers should be severely punished.

“The agreement reached today is an improvement from last year’s bill. The way you make good laws is to have people from both sides of the aisle come together, and this was a highly committed group that came together to work on these issues that aren’t in the best interest of any particular political party, but rather in the best interest of the American people.â€