GOP candidate for the 14th CD Senator Chris Lauzen released his 13-point immigration policy today . . .
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My policy position on illegal immigration rests on the following:
(1) No Amnesty Policy. Federal legislation must not grant amnesty to illegal immigrants residing in this country. We cannot reward those who cheated the system and cut in front of law-abiding citizens. It is inappropriate for us to turn our backs on those who complied with the law, paid their dues and achieved the dream of becoming legal citizens of the United States. Congress should reject stealth amnesty laws, such as the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act (S. 774).
The costs and burdens on federal agencies of granting amnesty to millions of Americans are simply too great to predict with any degree of accuracy. Amnesty is an improper federal policy which creates incentives for more illegal immigrants to stream across our borders and which undermines the noble efforts made by those who complied with the law and are here legally. Also, we need to take a roto-rooter to the plugged system of legal immigration where people who follow the rules are frustrated and forced to wait for years to legally immigrate.
(2) No “Anchor Baby” Automatic Citizenship. It is also time for us to address the inherent problem of automatically conferring citizenship on children born in the United States to illegal immigrants. While I am sympathetic to humanitarian goals and to those children who were born within our borders, federal policy which grants automatic citizenship is not only misguided but also threatens the viability of meaningful immigration reform on a structural basis. The only initial connection that these innocent children have to America is their parents’ willingness to violate the law and seek sanctuary illegally within our country. This simply is not enough.
If other immigration reform measures are passed, and automatic birthright citizenship is not addressed, our federal government would miss a core component of comprehensive reform and allow families who are here illegally to receive taxpayer-funded benefits. Under the Constitution, Congress has the power to decide national immigration policy. We need to pass federal legislation, consistent with the original intent of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, to eliminate automatic birthright citizenship.
(3) Share No-Match Data. Our federal government has failed to enforce immigration laws currently on the books. Employers must be provided with accurate tools and proper guidance from the federal government in a timely way to confront workers whose social security numbers and names do not match up with Social Security Administration (SSA) records. The SSA must provide employers with guidance on their legal obligations if no-match data is received.
This is only part of the problem. Currently, it is simply incredible that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) lacks adequate access to SSA “no-match” data, hampering its ability to target employers who willfully violate the law and employ a shadow workforce of illegal immigrants. Congress must pass legislation which authorizes the Social Security Administration to share “no-match” data with the Department of Homeland Security.
(4) Border Security. Securing our border is one of the most critical functions of the federal government. (Click here for endorsement letter for Chris text from Peter Gadiel who lost his 27 year old son at the World Trade Center on 9/11). Many left-leaning liberals suggest we do not have the money to effectuate meaningful border security. However, I believe amnesty programs and the social cost of tolerating illegal immigration are far greater than that which is necessary to ensure border safety and security. Simply put, I am in favor of an austere, fiscally prudent federal government. But when a matter of policy rests squarely within Congress’ purview – as immigration control unquestionably does – it is incumbent upon Congress to make the necessary investment to protect our country and its citizens.
No one likes the idea of erecting a fence along the Mexican border. The sad reality is that a fence may be necessary to redress previous inaction. But, a better idea seems to be the use of a “virtual fence” which would complement stretches of border with high-tech monitoring. I would support enactment of other steps along with exploring the feasibility of building a comprehensive barrier along the Southern boundary. For instance, Congress must enact legislation that bars the controversial policy of “catch and release,” allowing immigrants to be released on their own recognizance pending a removal order. While the DHS has ended this policy, it cannot be revitalized by the next administration. Federal law must prohibit it. Current laws on the books permit border surveillance and obstacles to prohibit entry into the United States.
Congress must fund these programs adequately, and I would support increased funding for border patrol agents and development of enhanced border security technology. These security measures deserve budget priority. To this end, we must also build on the successes of Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which enables the DHS and local governments to enter into assistance compacts and allow local officials to enforce federal immigration laws with appropriate immunity.
(5) No Identification for Illegal Immigrants. As a State Senator, I voted against providing drivers’ licenses to illegal immigrants. This issue has received attention nationally in recent weeks, and I have a record of leadership speaking out against it for years. We seem to have forgotten quickly that certain 9/11 hijackers had valid driver’s licenses, and that driver’s licenses are the primary means by which passengers are able to board commercial airliners. By providing illegal immigrants with means of government identification, we legitimize illegal immigration and undermine America’s efforts to be secure from foreign threats. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a measure that would have provided driver’s permits to over 2 million illegal aliens residing in California. Under public pressure, New York Governor Elliot Spitzer withdrew his proposal to provide driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants in New York.
(6) Appropriate Identification for Legal Immigrants. The biometric identification card – known as the Secure Authorized Foreign Entry (SAFE) card – has received widespread attention among presidential candidates, particularly Mayor Rudy Giuliani, speaking out on immigration reform. This proposal merits thorough debate as a sound measure to reward those workers here legally. However, if enacted, we must make sure that it does not deter safe tourism and fair trade, and that enforcement of SAFE card regulations are applied even-handedly and not in a discriminatory fashion. And, a national ID card should never be required of law-abiding American citizens.
(7) No Discretionary Grants to Sanctuary Cities. Cities and states that have a policy of providing sanctuary to illegal immigrants are themselves violating the law. I believe the power of the purse is a significant lever that Congress must pull to bring non-compliant state and local officials in check with the federal government’s sole responsibility to manage illegal immigration. To that end, I would support the elimination of discretionary federal funding to those states and cities that provide a safe-harbor and public university tuition discounts for illegal immigrants.
(8) Arrest and Deport Illegal Immigrants who are Felons. It is practically true that it is not possible to solve this problem that has grown so seriously over the past 20 years overnight. However, a place to at least start is to remove the threat to our safety from those illegal immigrants who are convicted felons. We need solid assurances from source countries that these criminals will be adequately incarcerated and will not bounce back to us.
I support “Attrition through Enforcement,” the concept that living illegally in the United States will become more difficult and less satisfying over time when the government - - at all levels - - enforces all of the laws already on the books. The “open borders” crowd constantly tells the American people that there are only two solutions to our nation’s illegal immigration crisis - - give illegal immigrants amnesty or round them up to deport them. Attrition through Enforcement is a possible “middle ground” based upon respect and enforcement of current laws.
(9) No Social Security Benefits to Illegal Immigrants. We should not reward people who break our immigration and employment laws.
(10) English as U.S. Official Language. I support English as the official language of our country. We need to emphasize integration/assimilation into our common culture.
(11) Commute Sentences to Time Served for Border Patrol Agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Campean. I will join the scores of congressmen and women who are pressing the appropriate federal agency to review what they consider the unjust conviction of these border agents who shot an admitted illegal alien drug smuggler, interdicted while smuggling $1M worth of drugs into the United States.
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher reports that the U.S. government sent investigators into Mexico to locate the drug smuggler, offer him immunity, free healthcare, and unconditional border-crossing cards, in exchange for his testimony against the Border Patrol officers. Inexplicably, U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton took the words of a drug smuggler while prosecutors seemed to mislead jurors by limiting essential information from jurors, and sentencing Ramos and Campean since January to 23 hours a day in solitary confinement, subject to conditions more restrictive than terrorist detainees at Guantanamo Bay. (Click here for Nov. 5, 2007 Human Events article by Rep. Rohrabacher)
(12) Make It Easier for Seasonal Workers to Go Home. For over 100 years, seasonal workers have been critical to agriculture industries in Illinois and other parts of the United States. Individuals come to work during the crop season and then go home to their families. To accomplish this without an amnesty program, we need to simplify and expand H-2A Visa programs. This will help employers, and it has been endorsed by the Heritage Foundation as recently as October of this year. Critics of the current H-2A Visa program claim that it is bloated and complicated. The Secure Borders First Act of 2007 (HR 2954), sponsored by Rep. Peter King (R-NY), provides for sensible reform of the H-2A visa program to allow a market-based number of seasonal workers each year, and this is a legislative measure I would endorse.
(13) Support and Co-Sponsor the bipartisan Secure America Through Verification and Enforcement (SAVE) Act. I intend to join more than 112 congressmen and women who are sponsoring the SAVE Act (HR 4088). This bipartisan measure would address, through Title II, the lack of mandatory data sharing between the Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration. The legislation also implements a means of mandating employer verification without unfunded mandates through E-Verify. The SAVE Act smartly addresses the problem of enforcement. In other words, we have laws on the books, but we need to ensure that those laws are enforced through technology measures, building of detention centers and hiring of border agents.
