Washington, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole today spoke on the Senate floor about her recently introduced immigration bills – one eliminating the costly requirement of providing government services in languages other than English and one aimed at strengthening immigration law with regard to drunk driving convictions.
Audio of Dole’s remarks is available at http://dole.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Audio.Home
Her entire speech is posted below and is worth the read.
Katy's Conservative Corner likes the term "criminal aliens" used below, by Mrs. Dole in reference to those who come here illegally and then commit crimes. KCC believes that lack of knowledge of our laws is no excuse for violating them. In fact, our nation prides itself on the principle of self-reliance whenever possible.
When people come here from foreign lands, whether legally or illegally, they are responsible for learning our language and our laws.
Your blogger lived in Guadalajara, Mexico for one year after graduating from Meredith College. There, she was expected to speak the language of the people, Spanish, and know the laws, even the informal ones. She studied these things for months before she entered Mexico at the Guadalajara airport.
Our immigrants of old did this, too. They came here and kept their "old country traditions", but worked hard to assimilate into American society. Katy's Conservative Corner applauds Senator Dole for her actions. Please read her statement below or click on the link above to listen.
“Madam President, in the time remaining in the 110th Congress there is still much that can be done to address critical pieces of the massively complex immigration issue. As my colleagues preceding me have related, we are offering solutions to demonstrated problems…measures that have bipartisan appeal and broad public support.
“I have introduced legislation, which would repeal President Bill Clinton’s executive order requiring the federal government to provide services in languages other than English. It is impractical and fiscally irresponsible to provide services in the hundreds of languages spoken in the United States – at an estimated cost of up to $2 billion annually! My bill also would help ensure that federal funds to local and state governments are not jeopardized because they provide English-only services. Moreover, proficiency in English should be encouraged, as it is required for citizenship and essential for maximizing opportunities in this country.
“My other bill, the Safe Roads Enhancement Act of 2008, would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to make a drunk driving conviction a deportable offense for illegal aliens. It also would classify a third drunk driving conviction as an aggravated felony, and therefore a deportable offense for nationals of a foreign country.
“In my home state of North Carolina, there have been a number of fatal automobile accidents caused by an intoxicated person who was in the United States illegally. In several of these incidents, the illegal alien has a record of DWI, but has been caught and released. For families, the pain of losing a loved one is compounded by the knowledge that the person responsible for these fatalities was not even in this country legally.
“A tragic example occurred in Charlotte last spring when a man attempted to cross the street and was struck and killed by a drunk driver who then fled the scene. Fortunately police were able to apprehend the driver – an illegal alien with a previous DWI conviction – before he could harm anyone else. Cases such as this are not isolated, and they’re not specific to North Carolina. Across our nation, similar senseless tragedies occur on roads and highways.
“My bill would help ensure that undocumented aliens who have self-identified themselves by drunk driving are removed. Likewise, individuals who abuse their legal status in the United States by repeatedly breaking drunk driving laws would lose their privilege of living in our country. Sadly, as we have seen repeatedly, we sorely need to strengthen immigration law with regard to drunk driving convictions.
“Furthermore, our government urgently needs to be laser-focused on removing undocumented aliens who are self-identifying themselves by committing other crimes, such as drug-trafficking and gang-related activities. Most of us can agree that criminal aliens who are obviously here for the wrong reasons should be removed. If we’re not safe in our own communities and own homes, what else is going to matter?
Editor's Note: Bolded text and photos/clip art added by your blogger.
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