--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I know firsthand that immigrants make…" description: "\"I know firsthand that immigrants make enormous contributions to our nation, but I also know that we need to secure our borders and make sure that those..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7a/tammy-duckworth-4313_borders_i-know-firsthand-that-immigrants-make-en_445217.png" --- # I know firsthand that immigrants make enormous… ![“I know firsthand that immigrants make enormous contributions to our nation, but I also know that we need to secure our borders and make sure that those who came here illegally wait their turn, pay a fine and any unpaid taxes, and pass a criminal background check before becoming citizens.” quote by Tammy Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7a/tammy-duckworth-4313_borders_i-know-firsthand-that-immigrants-make-en_445217.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7a/tammy-duckworth-4313_borders_i-know-firsthand-that-immigrants-make-en_445217.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7a/tammy-duckworth-4313_borders_i-know-firsthand-that-immigrants-make-en_445217.png) > “I know firsthand that immigrants make enormous contributions to our nation, but I also know that we need to secure our borders and make sure that those who came here illegally wait their turn, pay a fine and any unpaid taxes, and pass a criminal background check before becoming citizens.” [Tammy Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-duckworth/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker acknowledges immigrants’ valuable contributions while urging stricter immigration enforcement and vetting before citizenship. **In simple terms:** Immigrants help the country, but rules should be enforced. Key Takeaway Balance compassion with security measures. Themes immigration citizenship security policy justice Mood concerned determined pragmatic Type political policy debate When to use this quote - policy debate - legislative hearings - community forums - immigration law reform Key Concepts national contribution legal compliance background checks taxation border control Questions to Reflect On - How can we ensure fairness while protecting borders? - What are the impacts of fines on low‑income immigrants? A Different Perspective Enforcement may overlook humanitarian concerns and economic realities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Borders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/borders/) [Immigrants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigrants/) [Immigration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigration/) [Taxes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taxes/) ## Related quotes > [Special interests don't want border controls because uncontrolled immigration lowers wages, but the job of a president is to fight for higher pay for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/special-interests-don-t-want-border-controls-because-uncontrolled/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [America is the only developed nation that has a 2,000-mile border with a developing nation, and the government's refusal to control that border is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/america-is-the-only-developed-nation-that-has-a-2-000-mile-border/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [Opening our borders to a flood of illegal immigrants is deliberate … It’s time to impeach; and on behalf of American workers and legal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah/opening-our-borders-to-a-flood-of-illegal-immigrants-is-deliberate-it/) [Sarah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah/) > [The criminal illegal immigrants and violent cartels who have poured through our open borders have threatened Ohioans' safety and their jobs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-husted/the-criminal-illegal-immigrants-and-violent-cartels-who-have-poured/) [Jon Husted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-husted/) > [Nearly 11 million undocumented immigrants currently live within our borders. That's 11 million people living in the shadows whom we know next to nothing about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-israel/nearly-11-million-undocumented-immigrants-currently-live-within-our/) [Steve Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-israel/) > [Royalty has always been an unconscious but all-consuming goal of the European immigrant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vine-deloria-jr/royalty-has-always-been-an-unconscious-but-all-consuming-goal-of-the/) [Vine Deloria Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vine-deloria-jr/) > [We need to remain a nation that doesn't just welcome but that celebrates legal immigrants who come here seeking to pursue the American Dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/we-need-to-remain-a-nation-that-doesn-t-just-welcome-but-that/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [ That is another theme in the book \[Dreams from My Father\]. How do we exercise more empathy in our public discourse? How do we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/that-is-another-theme-in-the-book-dreams-from-my-father-how-do-we/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I don't like it when I see a racist comedian go up and say, 'What are we gonna do about all these immigrants?' and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-gervais/i-don-t-like-it-when-i-see-a-racist-comedian-go-up-and-say-what-are/) [Ricky Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-gervais/) > [Ed Koch once said that New York City is where immigrants come to audition for America. That's what happened to my parents; that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lin-manuel-miranda/ed-koch-once-said-that-new-york-city-is-where-immigrants-come-to/) [Lin-Manuel Miranda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lin-manuel-miranda/) > [All of us take offense to anyone who reaps the rewards of living in America without taking on the responsibilities of living in America.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/all-of-us-take-offense-to-anyone-who-reaps-the-rewards-of-living-in/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [If you chose a particular religion, you were siding with the government religion of whatever region you were in. That's never been true in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jacoby/if-you-chose-a-particular-religion-you-were-siding-with-the/) [Susan Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jacoby/) > [We're going to create factory jobs for recent immigrants, and Donald Trump is going to take care of them. That's why his numbers, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-sessions/we-re-going-to-create-factory-jobs-for-recent-immigrants-and-donald/) [Jeff Sessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-sessions/) > [Throughout our history, the words of the Declaration have inspired immigrants from around the world to set sail to our shores. These immigrants have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/throughout-our-history-the-words-of-the-declaration-have-inspired/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [That's what this country is. It's made up of immigrants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bria-vinaite/that-s-what-this-country-is-it-s-made-up-of-immigrants/) [Bria Vinaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bria-vinaite/) ## More by Tammy Duckworth > [I believe accurately remembering - and honoring - our whole past is the first step in governing in a way that effectively represents the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-duckworth/i-believe-accurately-remembering-and-honoring-our-whole-past-is-the/) [Tammy Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-duckworth/) > [It's really hard to use a laptop when you only have half a lap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-duckworth/it-s-really-hard-to-use-a-laptop-when-you-only-have-half-a-lap/) [Tammy Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-duckworth/) > [I have personally seen what a devastating medical condition can cost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-duckworth/i-have-personally-seen-what-a-devastating-medical-condition-can-cost/) [Tammy Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-duckworth/) > [The bottom line is, when you're in the Senate, you have more of a voice in the beginning than a new House member.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-duckworth/the-bottom-line-is-when-you-re-in-the-senate-you-have-more-of-a-voice/) [Tammy Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-duckworth/) > [Female service members are so integrated into the military, so critical and vital to all functions of the military, from combat service support to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-duckworth/female-service-members-are-so-integrated-into-the-military-so/) [Tammy Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-duckworth/) > [If I still had my legs, I would be in line for a battalion command, and instead, I'm flying a desk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-duckworth/if-i-still-had-my-legs-i-would-be-in-line-for-a-battalion-command-and/) [Tammy Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-duckworth/) > [The ADA allows persons with disabilities the opportunity to participate in the world around them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-duckworth/the-ada-allows-persons-with-disabilities-the-opportunity-to/) [Tammy Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-duckworth/) > [I remember my mother taking me as a very little kid to the roof of our home in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, to look at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-duckworth/i-remember-my-mother-taking-me-as-a-very-little-kid-to-the-roof-of/) [Tammy Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-duckworth/) > [I grew up a daughter of a United States Marine, a daughter of a man so proud to be an American.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-duckworth/i-grew-up-a-daughter-of-a-united-states-marine-a-daughter-of-a-man-so/) [Tammy Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-duckworth/) > [As a nation, we need to do everything we can to make sure those who have served have the tools they need to succeed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-duckworth/as-a-nation-we-need-to-do-everything-we-can-to-make-sure-those-who/) [Tammy Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-duckworth/) > [I consider myself lucky to have been born into a family that valued service to both one's country and one's community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-duckworth/i-consider-myself-lucky-to-have-been-born-into-a-family-that-valued/) [Tammy Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-duckworth/) > [We have an obligation to our men and women in uniform - and to future generations - to do something about the issue of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-duckworth/we-have-an-obligation-to-our-men-and-women-in-uniform-and-to-future/) [Tammy Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-duckworth/) > [Our soldiers show every single day that they are more than good enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-duckworth/our-soldiers-show-every-single-day-that-they-are-more-than-good-enough/) [Tammy Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-duckworth/) > [I absolutely welcome a full investigation into the for-profit schools because I think a majority of them are predatory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-duckworth/i-absolutely-welcome-a-full-investigation-into-the-for-profit-schools/) [Tammy Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-duckworth/) > [Each and every time I went in for IVF treatments, I knew there was a bipartisan group of Congresswomen praying for me, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-duckworth/each-and-every-time-i-went-in-for-ivf-treatments-i-knew-there-was-a/) [Tammy Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-duckworth/) [Explore all 113 Tammy Duckworth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-duckworth/) ## More Borders quotes > [We have to get control of our borders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-coffman/we-have-to-get-control-of-our-borders/) [Mike Coffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-coffman/) > [The U.S.-Mexican border es un herida abierta where the Third World grates against the first and bleeds. And before a scab forms it hemorrhages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-e-anzald-a/the-u-s-mexican-border-es-un-herida-abierta-where-the-third-world/) [Gloria E. Anzaldúa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-e-anzald-a/) > [Preemptive war is what Israel did in '67 with Arab armies on its borders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ivins/preemptive-war-is-what-israel-did-in-67-with-arab-armies-on-its/) [Molly Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ivins/) > [When I went to law school, which after all was back in the dark ages, we never looked beyond our borders for precedents. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-day-o-connor/when-i-went-to-law-school-which-after-all-was-back-in-the-dark-ages/) [Sandra Day O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-day-o-connor/) > [Schengen cannot survive without the most dramatic reform, and the external borders of Europe must be rapidly strengthened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-soames/schengen-cannot-survive-without-the-most-dramatic-reform-and-the/) [Nicholas Soames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-soames/) > [The troops were occasionally occupied in pursuing scattered bands going north or south, and on three occasions the large camp of Sitting Bull ventured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-a-miles/the-troops-were-occasionally-occupied-in-pursuing-scattered-bands/) [Nelson A. Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-a-miles/) > [The characters in my novels are my own unrealized possibilities. That is why I am equally fond of them all and equally horrified by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-characters-in-my-novels-are-my-own-unrealized-possibilities-that/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [When we talk about contemporary art and contemporary artists, we usually imagine artists who are alive. But I feel very uncomfortable about placing a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasumasa-morimura/when-we-talk-about-contemporary-art-and-contemporary-artists-we/) [Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) > [Photography... unites the obvious and the unconscious at the level of the limimal - the border between what we see and what we suspect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-lorca-dicorcia/photography-unites-the-obvious-and-the-unconscious-at-the-level-of/) [Philip-Lorca diCorcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-lorca-dicorcia/) > [When you have the Chief of Staff of the Republican National Committee and the political director of the Romney campaign, and their two companies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-caddell/when-you-have-the-chief-of-staff-of-the-republican-national-committee/) [Patrick Caddell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-caddell/) > [Fifty thousand people in Mexico have been murdered. Puerto Penasco, 60 miles south of our border, just had five people and a police officer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-brewer/fifty-thousand-people-in-mexico-have-been-murdered-puerto-penasco-60/) [Jan Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-brewer/) > [The unpleasant truth is that some borders are untenable and preserving them causes conflict, not peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mearsheimer/the-unpleasant-truth-is-that-some-borders-are-untenable-and/) [John Mearsheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mearsheimer/) > [Interesting things happen along borders - transitions - not in the middle where everything is the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/interesting-things-happen-along-borders-transitions-not-in-the-middle/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [At no other time (than autumn) does the earth let itself be inhaled in one smell, the ripe earth; in a smell that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/at-no-other-time-than-autumn-does-the-earth-let-itself-be-inhaled-in/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [House Republicans want to pass a strong border security, illegal immigration bill. We want a bill. There is no ifs, ands or buts about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boehner/house-republicans-want-to-pass-a-strong-border-security-illegal/) [John Boehner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boehner/) [Browse all 1,650 Borders quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/borders/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I know firsthand that immigrants make enormous contributions to our nation, but I also know that we need to secure our borders and make sure that those who came here illegally wait their turn, pay a fine and any unpaid taxes, and pass a criminal background check before becoming citizens.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tammy Duckworth" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-duckworth/i-know-firsthand-that-immigrants-make-enormous-contributions-to-our/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Borders" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-duckworth/i-know-firsthand-that-immigrants-make-enormous-contributions-to-our/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7a/tammy-duckworth-4313_borders_i-know-firsthand-that-immigrants-make-en_445217.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7a/tammy-duckworth-4313_borders_i-know-firsthand-that-immigrants-make-en_445217.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7a/tammy-duckworth-4313_borders_i-know-firsthand-that-immigrants-make-en_445217.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I know firsthand that immigrants make enormous contributions to our nation, but I also know that we need to…” — Tammy Duckworth", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Tammy Duckworth", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-duckworth/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I know firsthand that immigrants make...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-duckworth/i-know-firsthand-that-immigrants-make-enormous-contributions-to-our/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-duckworth/i-know-firsthand-that-immigrants-make-enormous-contributions-to-our/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```