U.S. Senator Rand Paul says he won't support a comprehensive immigration reform bill that's up for a vote this week in Washington. The Bowling Green Republican told WKU Public Radio on Monday that one of the problems he has with the bill is that it doesn't allow for an expansion of work visas.
"A lot of people come here to work, then they move to another job," Paul remarked. "They come here to pick crops, then they take a construction job. This bill doesn't let them switch from agriculture to construction. It actually puts new caps on those numbers, and because of those caps, I think that's the drive for illegal immigration."
Senator Paul sponsored an amendment that would have required Congress to vote annually on whether the border with Mexico was secure. With the amendment's defeat, Paul says he can't vote for the bill. His concern continues to be that a pathway to citizenship would be put in place regardless of whether border security has been achieved.
Paul predicts the immigration bill will clear the Senate, but die in the more conservative House.
