Immigration Reform

Principles

Legal immigration has blessed our nation with talent, diversity, and a commitment to freedom and the rule of law.  However, illegal immigration mocks that law and our system of justice.  It is estimated that there are over 10 million illegal aliens currently living in our country.  Illegal immigration costs our taxpayers billions of dollars every year, while taking jobs from law-abiding citizens and legal residents.  We must crack down on illegal immigration and enforce our current immigration laws.  In addition, we must not grant amnesty to individuals who have broken our laws.

Actions

• Because the federal government has been grossly inadequate in enforcing our nation’s immigration laws, I support the CLEAR Act (H.R. 100), which allows state and local law enforcement to aid in the enforcement of these laws.

• I believe it is important for businesses to hire only those eligible to work in the U.S., not illegal aliens, and to have tools available to determine employment eligibility quickly.  That is why I support efforts – like e-verify – to require employers to verify the legal status and work eligibility of employees.  This will also ensure that qualified U.S. workers are not displaced by illegal workers.

• I support the HALT Act (H.R. 2497) which would prohibit the Obama Administration from granting amnesty to those who illegally entered the country.

• I am a Member of the Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus, which is dedicated to the strong enforcement of our immigration laws and the protection of our border. 

• I strongly support efforts by states, like Arizona, to protect their citizens by enacting laws to help locate and detain illegal aliens.  In fact, I have submitted legal briefs in the U.S. v. Arizona immigration case arguing that Arizona and other states have the right to enforce immigration laws. 

• While we need to enforce the laws against illegal immigration, we also need to make sure our legal immigration laws are based on the needs of our country.  That is why I introduced the SAFE for America Act (H.R. 704), which eliminates the controversial Visa Lottery program.  This program conducts an annual lottery and awards legal permanent resident status to 50,000 foreign nationals each year based on pure luck.  The State Department’s inspector general has testified before Congress that this program “contains significant risks to national security from hostile intelligence officers, criminals, and terrorists attempting to use the program for entry into the United States as permanent residents.