mr. speaker , i yield myself such time as i may consume , and thank the gentleman from texas ( mr. sessions ) xz4003670 for yielding me time . 
mr. speaker , i rise today to oppose this rule and h.r. 418 . 
the anti-immigrant provisions contained in this bill are unconscionable . 
we are a nation of immigrants , a nation that people , from time immemorial , have journeyed to for freedom . 
as ronald reagan said , `` america is a shining light on the hill. '' well , apparently , mr. speaker , today that light is red . 
we find ourselves in the second week of the second month of this legislative session , and we have yet to have a bill come to the floor with an open rule . 
and i remind the majority that that is shutting america out with reference to this debate . 
we are here today without a final rule because of a lack of agreement on which amendments to allow . 
well , i have a simple solution , one that should be obvious to all of us . 
i say , allow all amendments to be brought to the floor for a full and free debate by the house of representatives as envisioned by this nation 's founding fathers who were immigrants . 
let congress work its will on this legislation . 
to stifle debate on a bill as ill conceived as h.r. 418 is undemocratic to the core . 
mr. speaker , there is no reason for hesitation . 
this is the only bill of substance on the house 's agenda this week . 
we have the opportunity to conduct an open debate on each radical section of this bill . 
as a country that prides itself on spreading democracy throughout the world , we must practice what we preach . 
allow the people to have their say by bringing h.r. 418 to the floor with an open rule . 
do not shut america out . 
the changes to asylum law contained in h.r. 418 will not improve our homeland security . 
terrorists do not have the right to seek asylum in our country and are already prohibited from doing so , but those who would legitimately seek refuge at our shores ought not to be turned away from our golden door through this bill 's misguided attempt at curbing immigration . 
nor will erosion of our personal privacy improve our security . 
the collection of unnecessary personal information by state agencies in an attempt to discern each and every person 's immigration standard goes against the very freedom this nation was founded on by immigrants and must be rejected . 
our nation 's security is of paramount importance ; but in an effort to achieve that goal , let us , a thriving nation of immigrants , not turn our backs on our history and our future . 
so before we replace the statue of liberty 's torch with a `` do not enter '' sign , let us reconsider in the most open of debates what that says about our great nation . 
mr. speaker , i reserve the balance of my time . 
