Dreier Statement on Passage of Senate Immigration Bill

May 25, 2006

WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman David Dreier (R-San Dimas,CA), Chairman of the House Rules Committee, issued the following statement today in reaction to passage of the Senate immigration reform bill:

"I am opposed to the legislation approved by the Senate today. Because it would allow illegal immigrants to secure Social Security benefits earned illegally, because it does not include a strong enough employment eligibility verification system, which I have advocated, and because it lacks the strength of the border security initiatives included in the House-passed bill, I would not have supported the Senate package. However, now that the Senate has acted, we need to get to work on finding a solution to the pressing problem of illegal immigration. I believe we can do better than the Senate bill.

"As the process moves forward, I will stand with my House colleagues as we pursue strong border security first, and responsible immigration reform second."