Response to President Calderon on AZ Law by Rep. McClintock

Response to President Calderon
House Chamber, Washington, D.C.
May 20, 2010

M. Speaker:

I rise to take strong exception to the speech of the President of Mexico while in this chamber today.

The Mexican government has made it very clear for many years that it holds American sovereignty in contempt and President Calderons behavior as a guest of the Congress confirms and underscores this attitude.

It is highly inappropriate for the President of Mexico to lecture Americans on American immigration policy, just as it would be for Americans to lecture Mexico on its laws.




It is obvious that President Calderon does not understand the nature of America or the purpose of our immigration law.

Unlike Mexicos immigration law -- which is brutally exclusionary -- the purpose of Americas law is not to keep people out. It is to assure that as people come to the United States, they do so with the intention of becoming Americans and of raising their children as Americans.

Unlike Mexico, our nation embraces immigration and what makes that possible is assimilation.

A century ago President Teddy Roosevelt put it this way. He said:

"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language ... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

That is how we have built one great nation from the people of all the nations of the world.

The largest group of immigrants now comes from Mexico. A recent RAND discovered that during most of the 20th Century, while our immigration laws were actually enforced, assimilation worked and made possible the swift attainment of the American dream for millions of immigrants seeking to escape conditions in Mexico.

That is the broader meaning of our nations motto, e pluribus unum from many people, one people, the American people.

But there is now an element in our political structure that seeks to undermine that concept of E Pluribus Unum. It seeks to hyphenate Americans, to develop linguistic divisions, to assign rights and preferences based on race and ethnicity, and to elevate devotion to foreign ideologies and traditions, while at the same time denigrating American culture, American values and American founding principles.

In order to do so, they know that they have to stop the process of assimilation. In order to do that, they must undermine our immigration laws.

It is an outrage that a foreign head of state would appear in this chamber and actively seek to do so. And it is a disgrace that he would be cheered on from the left wing of the White House and by many Democrats in this Congress.

Arizona has not adopted a new immigration law. All it has done is to enforce existing law that President Obama refuses to enforce. It is hardly a radical policy to suggest that if an officer on a routine traffic stop encounters a driver with no drivers license, no passport, and who doesnt speak English, that maybe that individual might be here illegally.

And to those who say we must reform our immigration laws I reply that we dont need to reform them we need to enforce them. Just as every other government does. Just as Mexico does.

Above all, this is a debate of, by and for the American people. If President Calderon wishes to participate in that debate, I invite him to obey our immigration laws, apply for citizenship, do what 600,000 LEGAL immigrants to our nation are doing right now, learn our history and our customs, and become an American. And then he will have every right to participate in that debate.

Until then, I would politely invite him to have the courtesy while a guest of this Congress to abide by the fundamental rules of diplomacy between civilized nations not to meddle in each others domestic debates.
Category: News & Politics
Tags:
calderon immigration Arizona

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• arizona
• immigration
• obama
• President
• Calderon

[spursbucswhitesoxfan]

"We don't need to reform our laws....we need to ENFORCE them"

Amen brother...Amen.

[Searching4Truth1]

The U.S. govt is responsible for protecting its citizens ..... not to provide liberties for people in other countries

Just as it was inappropriate for Calderon to be allowed to speak as Obama, et al. permitted, it's also quite inappropriate for Obama & these progressives to encourage as was done

Sen. McClintock speaks out but none shall hear nor speak of it if Obama, Pelosi, et al, have anything to do with it

And Americans should not have to press 5 for English

[adburger]

Perfect!

[makeme708]

That was really a great speach!

[AGAPITOMELORROSAS]

These beautiful the notes of this mariachi in honor of those who, ( OBAMA ) once TIME , they thought he going to do much for Undocumented Latinos IMMIGRANTS but it was cruel deception .. OBAMA has not done anything for them ..!!! August-3-2010, But perhaps one of these days maybe.. .... I still believe in the 3 HOLY wizards KINGS ...!!! PALIN says THAT he needs COJONES ( ??? )

[NYbornatheart]

Mr. McClinton, you are awesome to say the least

[ManIn0rbit]

this shouldn't be viewed as a pro/anti obama speech. this should be embraced by all americans. the president of mexico disrespected our congress with his speech. both democrats and republicans should be outraged. we run our country the best we can and for our ass-backwards southern neighbor who can't even control it's drug cartels to attempt to tell us what we should be doing pisses me straight off.

[osyrus99]

I am an immigrant and I love America!

[themange59]

lol America lectures every country on the laws they don't agree with, but we also bully them/overthrow their government to stop the laws/policies we don't like.

[ondabayou11]

A- Freakin' Men!!! Obama knows the more Illegals that come into this country, be it Mexicans or Muslims, the more votes he will get in the 2012 election. And that is the ONLY way this piece of S&^t for a President we have, could possibly be re-elected.......that Muslim Anti-Christ garbage! And hey, I'm not racist.....I hate his WHITE HALF TOO!

[daddyg321]

Is any one ever going to get the balls to copy Mexicos immigration law and introduce it as a bill here in the U.S.

[1024stoney]

Money sent home by illegals is one of Mexico's primary sources of income. (what does that say about Mexico?)

No wonder Calderon disagrees with enforcement...

Why would anyone listen to this guy? Do you know what Mexico's immigration laws are? watch?v=lWU01NIwGbg