IMMIGRATION
America was founded on principles that support the welcoming of new immigrants to our shores. These legal immigrants also were required to obey the law of the land, assimilate into American society by learning English and embrace our common identity as Americans through the processes of immigration and naturalization. Over the past several decades, it is very clear that our immigration system is broken – control of our borders should be among the highest priorities of Congress.
I believe that the failure to secure our border and combat illegal immigration is not only a national security issue but an economic issue as well. Open borders leave us vulnerable to the illegal crossing of terrorists and drug gang members - placing our homeland security in jeopardy. And illegal immigrants not only take jobs away from Americans but also put an additional burden on our welfare sytem, law enforcement, health care and education resources.
Your tax dollars should not be used to support and aid immigrants who are here illegally. I oppose illegal immigrants receiving federal benefits.
I also support cracking down on employers who employ illegal immigrants. When the jobs magnet dries up most illegal immigrants will self-deport. Toward that end we need an enforceable employee verification system that allows employers easy access to citizenship records but still protects an employee’s information from identity theft. That is why I strongly support requiring Photo Identification as a requirement for voting in all United States elections.
I also adamantly oppose any laws that include amnesty for those that have violated our laws – we must not reward illegal behavior. Amnesty only encourages future illegal immigration into our country.
I have empathy for anyone who works hard to provide for their family. But illegal is illegal.