Washington
DC Office
307 Dirksen Senate
Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: 202-224-6441
Fax: 202-224-1724
Wyoming Office
P.O. Box 22201
Casper, WY 82602
307-261-6413
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Contact: Cameron Hardy
202-224-6441 |
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Thomas Sours On Senate Immigration Reform
Senator will oppose measure in its current form; calls for stronger approach |
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May 23rd, 2006 - “I believe the Senate’s immigration reform effort has taken a turn for the worse,” U.S. Senator Craig Thomas said today. “We’re not making the necessary changes to enact a strong national immigration policy.”
“The current measure allows illegal immigrants to continue to sidestep responsibility. After seeing three important amendments for sound immigration reform fail last week, I simply cannot support the bill in its current form.”
“I’m against creating a special law that rewards illegal behavior by providing a path to citizenship.”
Thomas noted two amendments the Kyl-Cornyn amendment and the Vitter amendment both sought last week to strike provisions allowing a path to citizenship for those entering the country illegally – but failed.
Another measure, the Ensign amendment, of which Thomas was a co-sponsor, sought to close a loophole that allows illegal immigrants to begin the process of qualifying for Social Security.
“The Senate’s failure to prevent illegal immigrants from accumulating credits to qualify for Social Security is extremely disappointing. At a time when we are looking for solutions to strengthen Social Security, it’s inconsistent to have in place a policy that puts unnecessary pressure on the program, and again, rewards illegal behavior.”
“I recognize that these individuals and their employers pay into Social Security when the wages are reported, but we should require them to forfeit any right to these benefits as long as they are working illegally.”
“I was clear at the outset of our immigration debate that I would oppose a bill that is either weak or allows amnesty. While there are certain limited exceptions which merit special attention, none of them make a case for blanket amnesty,” Thomas said.
Senator Thomas’ Priorities:
• Opposes amnesty in any form
• Supports strengthening border security and protection
• Supports mandatory electronic employment verification
• Supports tough employer accountability provisions which increase penalties for those who knowingly hire illegal immigrants
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