Immigration

We believe this country was founded by people who immigrated here from other countries, enriched our country throughout history and continue to enrich it today.  We support the American Dream – the ability to come to this country, work hard, raise a family and fulfill your dreams and prosper.  What we have issue with is the notion that Washington should make subjective decisions of when to enforce our immigration laws and when to set them aside.

• Washington has tried amnesty before and it failed.  As reported in the The Washington Post citing The New York Times, it “… didn’t work. The law was supposed to put a stop to illegal immigration into the United States once and for all. Instead, the exact opposite happened. The number of unauthorized immigrants living in the country soared, from an estimated 5 million in 1986 to 11.1 million today.”
• In 1986, a Republican President Ronald Reagan and a Democratic-controlled Congress agreed to grant amnesty to illegal immigrants in return for securing the borders and enforcing the law.  Congress failed to secure and enforce, and now Washington wants to repeat history.  The result will be the same.
• Americans are clear on their position with regard to amnesty.  At a rate of nearly 2-to-1, Americans believe that anyone entering the United States illegally should not be granted amnesty on the grounds that it is neither fair nor equal treatment under the law.

How it Affects You:  

•  A border that is not secured will directly affect your freedom as more people will enter our country illegally and with impunity. This places additional strain on an already poor job market.
•  When Washington follows the law, it supports your freedom and your rights.  When Washington does not follow the law, or subjectively enforces it, your freedom and your rights are threatened.

In summary:

• We must first fully secure our borders. Immigration reform cannot happen without this necessary first step.
• We support legal immigration and the rule of law, according to the Constitution.
• There already is a legal path to citizenship for those wishing to immigrate to the United States.  Anyone who decided to get off that path and enter the United States illegally should not be given any sort of amnesty for it is neither fair nor equal treatment under the law.

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Real Immigration Reform:

An assessment of what a true immigration reform package would include

1. Real reform would prioritize securing the border.

More than 70% of Americans want to see border security before anything else happens. As of right now, the amnesty bill does not require any real border security measures. The bill only requires a plan to do so. An amendment by Sen. Ted Cruz was defeated in committee by all of the Democrats and two Republicans – Jeff Flake (R-AZ) and Lindsay Graham (R-SC) – that simply would have added a guarantee that the border be secured before any legalization. It was voted down. Real reform wouldn’t pay lip service to border security or treat Americans like naive little children; it would secure our borders before any other steps are taken.

2. Real reform would represent the people’s voice.

The Senate amnesty bill cedes so much authority to unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats, much like Obamacare does. Agencies and bureaucrats are untouchable by the people, and therefore free to make decisions without the consent of the governed because they never have to stand for elections. Additionally, the bill was written behind closed doors with special interests, while the rest of us were shut out – Chamber of Commerce, AFL-CIO, and La Raza were all intimately involved in the writing of this bill, while ICE, border agents, and all the rest of us were excluded. Real reform would be written and implemented by people accountable to voters.

3. Real reform would be fair and Constitutional.

This point refers to the unfairness of rewarding people who broke the law while punishing those that have followed the law and are waiting to enter the country legally. Whatever reform ultimately occurs, it must be fair. After all, people come to this country hoping to live in a place where the rule of law prevails and the law is equally applied to all. Real reform would uphold the rule of law and justice rather than mocking it.

4. Real reform would be understandable.

This point refers to DC’s addiction to “comprehensive” legislation, i.e. giant bills that are written behind closed doors in confusing legalese and code, released with little time to review and analyze the bill, with so much complexity that regular Americans have no chance of understanding all of the implications and ramifications. Congress also uses these enormous bills to hide unpopular provisions and crony, corruptive deals because they know they will pass it before we can see what’s in it. Real reform would be broken into pieces that are manageable and understandable to the American people – no more comprehensive bills.

5. Real reform would benefit the economy.

This point refers to the logical and obvious requirement that policies and legislation should be good for our economy, our fiscal & debt situation, and jobs. To push for any legislation that does otherwise is unacceptable. According to the Heritage Foundation’s recent report, this bill will cost us $6.3 trillion – at a time when we are already almost $31 trillion in debt. Real reform would be a boon to our economy, the jobs situation, and wouldn’t add a penny to our debt.

6. Real reform would promote American values.

This point refers to the necessity that those who come here and want to become citizens should understand what makes America exceptional and the founding principles of our nation. They should understand the philosophy behind our Constitution and Declaration of Independence. They should understand our three core values of fiscal responsibility, constitutionally limited government, and free markets. The amnesty bill currently contains provisions that would give taxpayer dollars to anti-American groups like La Raza to teach these new citizens about American values. Which version of America do you think La Raza will teach? Real reform would promote and instill the American values that made our country so great.