King Response to Senate Final Passage of S. 744

Washington, DC- Congressman Steve King released the following statement after the Senate voted to pass S. 744, the Gang of Eight's 1,200 page immigration reform legislation. The final vote was 68 - 32.

"This artificial victory for the Senators in the Gang of Eight marks a very disappointing day for our country," said King. "There are absolutely no benefits for Americans in this bill. It will not secure our nation's borders; it will make it harder to do so. It will incentivize employers to hire non-citizens instead of citizens, and contains dozens of pet projects added to the bill to buy extra votes. Welfare benefits will be guaranteed for illegal immigrants, and wages for American citizens will decrease as the number of guest workers doubles and the number of immigrants granted lawful permanent residency triples. The bill is, in many ways, a repeat of the 1986 Reagan Amnesty bill - which, as we know now, failed to accomplish the many promises in that bill.

Seventy percent of Republican Senators voted no, which means no momentum for amnesty in the House, even with border security. The bill does not promote or ensure any of the principles that we know will ensure a safer and more stable nation. Those who voted for this bill sacrificed the Rule of Law for a meaningless political trophy. Now, we are left with a choice in the House. Conservatives who truly understand the direction that our nation is headed must lead our conference, and prove that the pillars of American exceptionalism will not collapse."