Immigration: Protecting America’s Borders

Immigration reform is a serious matter. America is a nation of immigrants, and we benefit tremendously when people legally immigrate to our country. Unfortunately, throughout the past decade, millions of people have chosen to disregard our immigration laws and illegally enter our country or overstay their visas. Until our laws are strongly enforced, illegal immigrants will continue to pour across our borders and weaken our national security.

Our nation has appropriate immigration laws in place, but they need to be enforced. By doing so, we will create a new generation of dedicated, patriotic American citizens. Legal immigrants have obeyed our laws, and America must demonstrate our commitment to these hard-working individuals by ensuring those who follow our laws are treated courteously by immigration officials and their immigration applications are processed in a timely fashion.

In the 110^th Congress, I have cosponsored several pieces of legislation that would strengthen our borders and eliminate illegal immigration:

H.R. 98, the “Illegal Immigration Enforcement and Social Security Protection Act of 2007,” would enforce restrictions on employment in the United States for unauthorized aliens through the use of improved Social Security cards and an Employment Eligibility Database;
H.R. 1314, the “Photo Identification Security Act,” would require the Federal Government and financial institutions to solely accept secure forms of identification;
H.R. 2954, the “Secure Borders FIRST (For Integrity, Reform, Safety, and Anti-Terrorism) Act of 2007,” would give the men and women defending our borders the tools required to take control. H.R. 2954 will enforce our current immigration and workforce laws, mandate detention of those attempting to cross the border illegally, and refuse to give amnesty to illegal aliens. Additionally, this bill will modify the current H-2A visa program, for temporary agricultural workers, to facilitate the hiring process for farmers. This legislation will also mandate an employment verification system for all employers;
H.R. 4088, the “SAVE (Secure America Through Verification and Enforcement) Act of 2007,” would provide for additional border patrol agents, expands the E-verify program and makes it mandatory for employers, and reduces illegal immigration through interior enforcement.

We must ensure we have an English-speaking, legal workforce that pays their taxes, grows our economy, and benefits our nation. However, I believe that it should be Congress’ priority to secure our borders. Please be assured that I will continue to work with my colleagues to strengthen border security and protect America’s legal workforce.