DREAM Act Portal Forum - Graham's latest commets on CIR

http://www.americanbankingnews.com/2...-hurt-economy/

Quote:

“The discussion on jobs, health care and immigration reform is extremely timely in San Antonio especially during these unique times we are living in,’ said San Antonio Hispanic Chamber President and CEO Ramiro A. Cavazos. “We know Senator Graham is a highly-regarded national leader and his visit to San Antonio is an opportunity to create further dialogue on economic issues.”

The South Carolina senator acknowledged that the Republican Party has a problem with Hispanic voters over the immigration issue. However, he added that, “I’m not going to create a bill to help my party with Hispanics; I’m going to create a bill to help America.”

Sen. Graham said the number one problem facing America in the future is a declining population and flat birth rate. However, he said that “citizenship has become the new amnesty” — that there is a growing view among Republicans that immigration reform cannot include a path to citizenship.

Sen. Graham favors comprehensive reform that encourages illegal immigrants to “come out of the shadows, quit being exploited, raise your hand, pay a fine for the law you violated, pay taxes, learn the language and get in the back of the line if you want to become a citizen. I like citizenship if it’s done the right way,” said Graham.

“Right now, we’ve got an irrational immigration system that can’t tell the difference between a guy who wants to fix roofs and a guy who wants to sell drugs,” said Graham.