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Immigration Quotes

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Immigration Quotes

“Immigrant families have integrated themselves into our communities, establishing deep roots. Whenever they have settled, they have made lasting contributions to the economic vitality and diversity of our communities and our nation. Our economy depends on these hard-working, taxpaying workers. They have assisted America in its economic boom.”

Made Hard America Nations Community Economy Economic Hard Work Depends Diversity Roots Workers Immigration Contribution Immigrants Lasting Vitality Integrated Our Community Deep Roots

Author:Edward Kennedy

“When you enlisted into the armed forces you swore to support and defend a Constitution that did not yet fully apply to you. You chose to endure the same sacrifices as your fellow comrades in arms to preserve the freedom of a land that was not yet fully yours. You accepted that you might have to pay the ultimate price on behalf of a nation to which you did not fully belong. Now, you will officially become citizens of the United States, a country to which each of you has already borne true faith and allegiance in your hearts and your deeds.”

“Born in other countries, yet believing you could be happy in this, our laws acknowledge, as they should do, your right to join us in society, conforming, as I doubt not you will do, to our established rules. That these rules shall be as equal as prudential considerations will admit, will certainly be the aim of our legislatures, general and particular.”

Should Believe Country Law Born Doubt Particular Equal Aim Immigration Acknowledge Consideration Other Countries Conform Legislature

Book:The Writings of Thomas Jefferson: Correspondence, contin

Source: The Writings of Thomas Jefferson: Correspondence, contin

“Wide open and unguarded stand our gates, and through them presses a wild motley throng, men from the Volga and the Tartar steppes, featureless figures of the Hoang-Ho, Malayan, Scythian, Teuton, Kelt, and Slav. Flying the Old World's poverty and scorn, these bringing with them unknown gods and rites, Ttose, tiger passions, here to stretch their claws in street and alley. What strange tongues are loud accents of menace alien to our air, voices that once the Tower of Babel knew! O Liberty, white Goddess! Is it well to leave the gates unguarded?”

“Unless the Stream of their Importation could be turned... they will soon so outnumber us, that all the advantages we have, will not in my Opinion be able to preserve our Language, and even our Government will become precarious.”

Government Able Language Opinion Advantage Immigration Preserves Streams Precarious Importation

Book:Educational views of Benjamin Franklin

Source: Educational views of Benjamin Franklin

“I will lead you to the City Hall, clean out the police force, hang the Prosecuting Attorney, burn every book that has a particle of law in it, then enact new laws for the workingmen.”

Book Law Force Cities Police Clean Immigration Halls Particles Attorney Police Force Prosecuting City Hall

Author:Denis Kearney

“Either the Anglo-Saxon race will possess the Pacific slope or the Mongolians will possess it. We have this day to choose... whether legislation shall be in the interest of the American free laborer or for the servile laborer from China... You cannot work a man who must have beef and bread, and would prefer beer, alongside a man who can live on rice.”

Men Interest Race China Immigration Bread Beer This Day Legislation Rice Pacific Beef Slopes Laborers Anglo Saxon

Author:James G. Blaine

“The Alien bill proposed in the Senate is a monster that must forever disgrace its parents.”

Parent Forever Bills Monsters Immigration Aliens Senate Disgrace

Book:The Writings of James Madison: 1790-1802

Source: The Writings of James Madison: 1790-1802

“The policy or advantage of [immigration] taking place in a body (I mean the settling of them in a body) may be much questioned; for, by so doing, they retain the language, habits, and principles (good or bad) which they bring with them. Whereas by an intermixture with our people, they, or their descendants, get assimilated to our customs, measures, and laws: in a word, soon become one people.”

People May Mean Body Law Language Principles Policy Habit Advantage Immigration Settling Customs Descendants

Author:George Washington

“Strangers are welcome because there is room enough for them all, and therefore the old Inhabitants are not jealous of them; the Laws protect them sufficiently so that they have no need of the Patronage of great Men; and every one will enjoy securely the Profits of his Industry. But if he does not bring a Fortune with him, he must work and be industrious to live.”

Source: The Life and Miscellaneous Writings of Benjamin Franklin

“[E]very Man who comes among us, and takes up a piece of Land, becomes a Citizen, and by our Constitution has a Voice in Elections, and a share in the Government of the Country.”

Men Country Government Voice Pieces Share Land Citizens Constitution Election Immigration

Book:The Works of Benjamin Franklin; Containing Several Political and Historical Tracts Not Included in Any Former Edition, and Many Letters, Official and Private, Not Hitherto Published; with Notes and a Life of the Author

Source: The Works of Benjamin Franklin; Containing Several Political and Historical Tracts Not Included in Any Former Edition, and Many Letters, Official and Private, Not Hitherto Published; with Notes and a Life of the Author

“This new world hath been the asylum for the persecuted lovers of civil and religious liberty from every part of Europe. Hither have they fled, not from the tender embraces of the mother, but from the cruelty of the monster; and it is so far true of England, that the same tyranny which drove the first emigrants from home, pursues their descendants still.”

Source: Common Sense: and The American Crisis I

“[Emigrants] will bring with them the principles of the governments they leave, imbibed in their early youth; or, if able to throw off, it will be in exchange for an unbounded licentiousness, passing, as is usual, from one extreme to another. It would be a miracle were they to stop precisely at the point of temperate liberty.”

Ifs Government Would Be Able Liberty Principles Youth Miracle Extremes Immigration Passing Passings Usual

Book:The portable Thomas Jefferson

Source: The portable Thomas Jefferson

“Some reasonable term ought to be allowed to enable aliens to get rid of foreign and acquire American attachments; to learn the principles and imbibe the spirit of our government; and to admit of a probability at least, of their feeling a real interest in our affairs.”

Real Feelings Government Spirit Term Interest Principles Ought Affair Immigration Aliens Reasonable Acquire Attachment Citizenship Probability

Book:The works of Alexander Hamilton: containing his correspondence, and his political and official writings, exclusive of the Federalist, civil and military

Source: The works of Alexander Hamilton: containing his correspondence, and his political and official writings, exclusive of the Federalist, civil and military

“Whether one traces his Americanism back three centuries to the Mayflower, or three years to the steerage, is not half so important as whether his Americanism of today is real and genuine. No matter by what various crafts we came here, we are all now in the same boat.”

Years Important Real Matter Today Three Half Century Various Genuine Immigration Boat Crafts Three Years Americanism Mayflower

Book:The Quotable Calvin Coolidge: Sensible Words for a New Century

Source: The Quotable Calvin Coolidge: Sensible Words for a New Century

“Nearly all Americans have ancestors who braved the oceans-liberty-loving risk takers in search of an ideal-the largest voluntary migrations in recorded history. Across the Pacific, across the Atlantic, they came from every point on the compass-many passing beneath the Statue of Liberty-with fear and vision, with sorrow and adventure, fleeing tyranny or terror, seeking haven, and all seeking hope...Immigration is not just a link to America's past; it's also a bridge to America's future.”

“We have the most generous immigration policy, but what is a concern is when illegal immigrants come and undermine a variety of the systems that work in order to make our society function.”

Order Policy Concern Function Immigration Variety Generous Our Society Immigrants Illegal Illegal Immigrants Immigration Policy

Author:Madeleine Albright

“In my view, immigrants today aren't any different from immigrants who have come to America throughout our nation's history. They bring new ideas, an entrepreneurial spirit and close family ties. They place a high value on education. And they are eager to achieve the American Dream. ... It's to our benefit to keep our doors open, and to keep enriching our economy and culture. I'd like to see America continue to do so.”

“What I'm talking about is the order of deportation, the sequence of deportation. It is almost impossible to move 11 million illegal immigrants overnight. You do it in steps.”

Moving Order Talking Steps Millions Impossible Immigration Immigrants Illegal Sequence Illegal Immigrants Deportation

Author:Michele Bachmann

“We are all the sons or daughters of immigrants - some more recent than others - but all dedicated to the triumph of an idea that serves as the touchstone of what it means to be an American. This America is the only America that we have hitherto known - if being conservative has anything to do with conserving the principles of our past, then no conservative has any business bashing legal immigration.”

“Today we are in a situation in which the free movement of people can have enormous, monumental dimensions, and I don't think that any country in Western Europe or in America can any longer adopt the idea of totally free movement of people. I t would simply overwhelm their social facilities, their societies and create migratory dynamics on the scales of tens and tens of millions of people. That simply is not practical.”

“On immigration policy, I believe we ought to call an immediate halt, stop illegal immigration and reduce legal immigration back to about 250,000 to 300,000, to more easily assimilate the Americans who've come here in the last 30 years.”

Years Believe Lasts I Believe Policy Ought Immigration Illegal Halt Illegal Immigration Immigration Policy Legal Immigration

Author:Pat Buchanan

“Our laws were not designed to accommodate three or four thousand refugees coming here per day. Our laws were designed for people to be screened in a foreign country, carefully catalogued, and brought here a few at a time. This just didn't happen.”

People Country Happens Law Three Four Thousand Immigration Refugee Accommodate Foreign Countries

Book:Jimmy Carter

Source: Jimmy Carter

“I'm sometimes asked why it is that for 30 years we seem to have trouble in the United States enforcing the rules against illegal immigration, and I'll tell you what the answer is. The answer is that when the television cameras turn off and the spotlight moves to something else, there are a host of interest groups and advocacy groups who work very, very hard to make it difficult to enforce these rules. I'm not commenting adversely on their motivation, but I can tell you the effect of all of this is to wear down the ability of an agency to enforce the law.”

“The fact that we have not had a terrorist attack in this country in the last six years is not a cause for complacency or a time to celebrate the end of the struggle. The threat is not going away. The enemy has not lost interest. ...Fundamentally, we're in a struggle about ideology. Terrorists want to remake the world in their own image and it is the image that is intolerant of the kinds of institutions that we cherish.”

“So people have to decide. Do they want to have the security? Do they want to continue to plug the gap [in border security] that GAO has identified and recognize that there will be some costs to doing that? Or do we want to make sure that business isn't hampered and that people can move back and forth readily, and recognize that, if we don't put some barriers in place, we're going to wind up with dangerous people coming into the country?”

People Ifs Want Country Moving Security Dangerous Wind Cost Immigration Borders Barriers Gaps Back And Forth Plugs Border Security

Author:Michael Chertoff

“We don't really have the ability to enforce the law with respect to illegal work in this country in a way that's truly effective...We haven't been able to require every employer to enter a system in which they check the work status of their employees and determine whether they're legal, and without that, we don't really have the ability to enforce the law with respect to illegal work in this country in a way that's truly effective. And that would be the single greatest additional weapon we could use if we're serious about tackling this problem.”

Ifs Way Country Use Problem Would Be Able Law Ability Havens Serious Weapons Determine Immigration Checks Employee Illegal Employers Tackling

Author:Michael Chertoff

“How can you raise the level of consciousness on this? How can you get the federal government to take the responsibility? Florida does not have a foreign policy. This is a federal policy or absence of federal policy. It's so clear that we're not being treated fairly. We have to come up with a solution. It hurts your head trying to figure out what to do.”

Trying Doe Government Hurt Levels Consciousness Responsibility Clear Figures Policy Solutions Raises Come Up Absence Immigration Treated Foreign Policy Florida It Hurts Federal Government

Author:Lawton Chiles

“Most illegal immigrants are not by nature lawbreakers. Most are looking for the chance to live in dignity. Nevertheless we must continue to discourage illegal immigration for it undermines control of our borders...and even more punishes hard-working people who play by the rules and who wait for their turn to come to the United States. Therefore we must enforce our laws, but we will do so with justice and fairness.”

“I support lowering the level of legal immigration by a moderate amount at this time. Legal immigration reform must be based upon principles that are pro-family, pro-work, and pro-naturalization, retaining opportunities for family reunification as the levels are lowered. We must not let this issue become divisive in this country.”

Country Opportunity Levels Principles Support Issues Amount Immigration Reform Moderates Immigration Reform Retaining Legal Immigration Reunification

Author:William J. Clinton

“Let me be clear: we are still a nation of immigrants, and we honor all those immigrants who are working hard to become new citizens.”

Stills Hard Nations Clear Citizens Honor Let Me Immigration Immigrants

Author:William J. Clinton

“[Illegal immigration] costs the taxpayers of the United States a lot of money. And it's unfair to Americans who are working every day to pay their own bills. It's also unfair to a lot of people who have waited in line for years and years in other countries to be legal immigrants.”

People Years Country States Lines United Pay United States Cost Bills Immigration Immigrants Illegal Lots Of Money Other Countries Unfair Taxpayers Illegal Immigration

Book:Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, William J. Clinton, 1995, Bk. 1, January 1 to June 30, 1995

Source: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, William J. Clinton, 1995, Bk. 1, January 1 to June 30, 1995

“Our immigration policy is focussed in four areas: First, strengthening border control; second, protecting American jobs by enforcing laws against illegal immigrants at the workplace; third, deporting criminal and deportable aliens; fourth, giving assistance to states who need it, and denying illegal aliens benefits for public services or welfare.”

“It simply doesn't make any sense for us to have illegal aliens in our custody in our courts and then let them go back to living here illegally. That's wrong and we should stop it.”

Should Court Immigration Aliens Illegal Custody Illegal Aliens

Author:William J. Clinton

“Our policy is guided by the principle that we will keep unauthorized aliens out of the United States, welcome legal immigrants, and protect refugees from harm. Our solutions rely on working in partnership with States and communities.”

States Community United Principles United States Policy Protect Solutions Harm Immigration Welcome Aliens Rely Immigrants Partnership Refugee

Author:William J. Clinton

“We are a nation of immigrants. But we are also a nation of laws. It is wrong and ultimately self-defeating for a nation of immigrants to permit the kind of abuse of our immigration laws we have seen in recent years, and we must do more to stop it.”

Years Kind Has Beens Made Self Facts Law Nations Too Much Serious Abuse Immigration Administration Immigrants Permit Employers Sanctions Immigration Laws

Author:William J. Clinton

“All Americans, not only in the states most heavily affected but in every place in this country, are rightly disturbed by the large numbers of illegal aliens entering our country. The jobs they hold might otherwise be held by citizens or legal immigrants. The public services they use impose burdens on our taxpayers. That's why our administration has moved aggressively to secure our borders more by hiring a record number of new border guards, by deporting twice as many criminal aliens as ever before, by cracking down on illegal hiring, by barring welfare benefits to illegal aliens.”

“In the budget I will present to you, we will try to do more to speed the deportation of illegal aliens who are arrested for crimes, to better identify illegal aliens in the workplace as recommended by the commission headed by former Congresswoman Barbara Jordan. We are a nation of immigrants. But we are also a nation of laws. It is wrong and ultimately self-defeating for a nation of immigrants to permit the kind of abuse of our immigration laws we have seen in recent years, and we must do more to stop it.”

“I recently spoke with Barbara Jordan of the U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform, and I increasingly believe we need a system to verify employment eligibility. The Commission's recommendation of a national registry may be the way to go.”

Way Needs Believe May Immigration Employment Reform Spokes Jordan Recommendations Immigration Reform Barbara Verify Eligibility

Author:William J. Clinton

“What we did with deeming rules were designed - it was designed to keep costs from coming on to the government that should be borne by families of immigrants who actually have incomes and can afford to pay.”

Should Government Pay Cost Immigration Income Immigrants

Author:William J. Clinton

“[It] has a lot of things in it that I like, but I think it's way too hard on financing things from immigrants.”

Thinking Way Hard Immigration Immigrants Financing

Author:William J. Clinton

“We must say no to illegal immigration so we can continue to say yes to legal immigration.”

Immigration Illegal Illegal Immigration Legal Immigration

Book:Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton, 1993

Source: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton, 1993

“We can't afford to lose control of our own borders or to take on new financial burdens at a time when we are not adequately providing for the jobs, the health care and the education of our own people.”

People Care Jobs Loses Financial Burden Immigration Health Care Borders Providing Financial Burden

Author:William J. Clinton

“...the fact [is] that our borders leak like a sieve: those things cannot be permitted to continue in good conscience.”

Facts Conscience Immigration Borders Leaks

Book:Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton, 1993

Source: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton, 1993

“The simple fact is that we must not-and we will not-surrender our borders to those who wish to exploit our history of compassion and justice.”

Facts Wish Justice Simple Compassion Surrender Immigration Borders Exploits

Book:Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton, 1993

Source: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton, 1993

“To the extent that our workers compete with low-paid Mexicans, it is as much through undocumented immigration as trade. This pattern threatens low-paid, low-skill U.S. workers. The combination of domestic reforms and NAFTA-related growth in Mexico will keep more Mexicans at home. It is likely that a reduction in immigration will increase the real wages of low-skilled urban and rural workers in the United States.”

Real States Home Growth United United States Skills Lows Increase Paid Trade Workers Patterns Immigration Reform Combination Related Mexico Urban Wages Reduction Nafta Urban And Rural

Author:William J. Clinton

“It is a commonplace of American life that immigrants have made our country great and continue to make a very important contribution to the fabric of American life. But...under the pressures we face today, we can't afford to lose control of our borders, or to take on new financial burdens, at a time when we are not adequately providing for the jobs, the health care, and the education of our own people. Therefore, immigration must be a priority for this administration.”

“The California proposition [Prop. 187] is one I would agree with. That's the easiest way to put it.”

Way Agree Immigration California Propositions Props

Author:Bob Dole

“As president, I will fight illegal immigration in order to preserve an appropriate level of legal immigration. At the same time, I believe our system of legal immigration needs to be re-examined. As part of this re-examination, I support a modest, temporary reduction in the annual rate of legal immigration.”

“Yet when the blood of the sons of immigrants and the grandsons of slaves fell on foreign fields, it was American blood. In it you could not read the ethnic particulars of the soldier who died next to you. He was an American. And when I think of how we learned this lesson, I wonder how we could have unlearned it.”

Thinking Dream Next Father Wonder Morning Blood Fields Son Lessons Direct Died Slave Soldier Immigration Immigrants Mexico American Dream Founding Descendants Grandson

Author:Bob Dole