This week the Senate began an overdue reform of immigration laws.

Because as many as 10,000 illegal aliens cross the U.S. border every day, we should start with border security. It is hypocritical for the United States of America to preach to the world about the rule of law yet thumb our nose at the 12 million people who are living here illegally. It is hypocritical, and it is dangerous to our security not to control our own borders. 

Then, once we secure the border and can uphold our limits on immigration, we should get quickly back to the American tradition of creating a legal status for those who temporarily work and study in the United States and who, by doing so, enrich our diversity, spur our economy and help export American values to the rest of the world.

Finally, my goal during the debate is to make sure that we don’t stop there, that we don’t overlook, as Paul Harvey might say, the rest of the immigration story—that is, helping prospective citizens who are legally here become Americans. That is why I have introduced the Strengthening American Citizenship Act amendment to the immigration reform bill.

My amendment, cosponsored by Senators Cornyn (R-TX), Frist (R-TN), McCain (R-AZ), McConnell (R-KY), Cochran (R-MS), Isakson (R-GA) and Santorum (R-PA), encourages legal immigrants who are prospective citizens to become American by learning English, American history and our way of government by:

• providing them with $500 grants for English courses;
• allowing those who become fluent in English to apply for citizenship one year early (that is, after four years instead of five); 
• providing grants to organizations to offer courses in American history and civics; 
• authorizing a new foundation to assist in these efforts;
• codifying the Oath of Allegiance which new citizens swear when they are naturalized; 
• asking the Homeland Security Department to carry out a strategy to highlight the ceremonies in which immigrants become American citizens; and
• establishing an award to recognize the contributions of outstanding new American citizens.

Americans enjoy more rights than the citizens of any nation on the face of the earth, and our founders recognized, as every citizen and prospective citizen must, that along with those rights come responsibilities. The new citizen, like those who came before, must appreciate this simple but fundamental truth: in a free society, freedom and responsibility go hand in hand.

To become an American is a significant accomplishment. First, you must live in the United States as a legal permanent resident for five years. Next you must speak English.  Next you must learn about our history and government. Next you must swear an oath and renounce the government of the country from which you came—and then swear allegiance to the United States of America. This oath dates back to May 12, 1778, when General George Washington and his general officers at Valley Forge signed an oath very similar to the one that more than 500,000 new American citizens took last year in hundreds of naturalization ceremonies all over America.

Becoming an American is also a unique accomplishment because it has nothing to do with ancestry.  America is an idea, not a race. We are united by principles expressed in our founding documents, not by our multiple ancestries.

Some have suggested that diversity is what makes our country great. To be sure, diversity is one of our great strengths, but diversity is not our greatest strength. Jerusalem is diverse. The Balkans are diverse. Iraq is diverse. The greatest accomplishment of the United States of America is that we have molded that magnificent diversity into one nation, based upon a set of common principles, language, and traditions. That is why our national motto, which is carved in stone above the presiding officer’s desk in the Senate chamber, is E Pluribus Unum, one from many – not “many from one.”

During the immigration debate, we should enact legislation to secure our borders – three million illegal border crossings each year is totally unacceptable. Then we should create a legal status for the workers and students we welcome here temporarily to increase our standard of living and to export our values. But we should not complete work on a comprehensive immigration law without remembering why we have made E Pluribus Unum our national motto. We are proud of where we come from, but prouder of where we are. We are Americans. That is the most important subject for an immigration debate, and this bill will not be complete without it. It is more important today than ever to help prospective citizens become Americans.

#   #   #

Senator Alexander meets with students at the Memphis Academy of Science and Engineering (MASE). These students belong to the first, and only, 9th grade Advanced Placement (AP) biology class in Tennessee. MASE operates as a center of excellence in technology, science and math education, augmenting the educational choices available to middle and high school families in downtown Memphis. Currently there are 392 7th, 8th and 9th graders being educated at MASE.