Securing Our Borders

We must do all we can to stop the flow of illegal immigrants and drugs into this nation, and the Border Patrol is on the front line of those efforts.  Supporting the Border Patrol is essential to our nation’s security and I will not tolerate any inefficiencies, backlogs, or waste of taxpayer dollars.  I believe we need to secure our borders. In the war on terror, border security is national security. I also believe that immigrants need to play by the rules. We are a nation of great opportunity, and while immigrants built this great nation, we are also a nation of laws.  As your Congressman, I will fight to make sure those laws are enforced. I am opposed to any piece of legislation that offers amnesty to anyone who broke our nation’s laws entering this nation.

I have joined Congressman David Davis to introduce bipartisan legislation to help local law enforcement combat illegal immigration. Illegal immigration is a grave concern in our district. Local law enforcement officers need federal funding for training to handle this sensitive issue. I have heard from many people in Northeast and Central Pennsylvania that more must be done to stop illegal immigration. I intend to ask Congress to hold hearings to investigate the recent claims that the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is mired in inefficiency and wasting taxpayer dollars. As a fiscal conservative and someone who came to Congress to fight for our national security, I plan to hold all levels of our federal government accountable

H.R. 2086 would make available existing federal resources to fund training of state and local law enforcement to handle illegal immigration. Our local law enforcement are our community’s first responders to the problem of illegal immigration. With training, they can learn how to combat this problem and take action. The financial burden should be held at the federal level—not imposed on state and local government. Fighting illegal immigration is a top priority of mine, I am proud to introduce this legislation.