Heritage Foundation Leadership for America

WASHINGTON, JUNE 27,2007--Heritage Foundation President Ed Feulner today issued the following statement after the Senate vote on the amnesty bill:

"America has always been a nation of laws, as well as a nation of immigrants. In rejecting amnesty for illegal immigrants, today's Senate vote was a victory for those who believe in the rule of law. It was also a vote to uphold the primacy of national security in addressing immigration reform. Perhaps most important of all, it was a vote that reaffirmed the democratic ideal that lawmakers are to act as public servants, not as a ruling elite, that their first duty is to represent the will of the people.

"Today's vote is not the end of the immigration debate. As those on both sides of the Senate proposal noted, doing nothing is not a viable option for dealing with illegal immigration. Twelve million illegal aliens cannot be ignored.

"Nor can we tolerate more illegal immigration that simply invites new threats to America. We simply cannot ignore unsecured borders. We must enforce existing law, while we all work together to provide solutions to these problems in smart and humane ways.

"We urge the Congress to consider all elements of this complex issue, but deal with them 'one bite at a time.'

"It is my hope that lawmakers opt for a new strategy to achieve real immigration reform--reform that honors the rule of law, enhances national security, sustains economic growth and productivity, reaffirms the concept of American citizenship and civil society and unites us as a nation now and for generations to come."