Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) today issued the following statement at a press conference with a group of senators including Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA) to discuss border security and immigration reform:
“It is completely unacceptable for Congress to go home for one more year without enacting legislation to uphold the rule of law and secure our borders. Securing our borders at home is as important as defending our freedom in Iraq.
“The way to do this is to combine the Senate and House immigration bills into a two-stage piece of legislation based upon the ‘Isakson principle,’ modeled after an amendment offered by Sen. Johnny Isakson which received 40 votes during Senate debate.
“In a single piece of legislation, first, authorize the necessary steps and funding to secure the borders and, second, once the borders are secure, trigger the implementation of other provisions of a comprehensive immigration bill.
"I believe this two-stage immigration legislation should accomplish three main goals: one, secure our borders; two, define a legal status for those who legally work and study in the United States, and; three, help prospective citizens become Americans by helping them learn English, United States history and our democratic traditions.”