Immigration

The United States is a nation of laws with a proud tradition of extending citizenship to legal immigrants in our country.  I believe that we must secure our nation’s borders and act to improve workplace enforcement while addressing the underlying causes of illegal immigration.  As Congress begins to work to alleviate the growing issues surrounding immigration, I will continue to support reasonable, comprehensive reforms to our immigration system that do not reward those who break the law.  

Rather than dealing with one aspect of our immigration crisis, it will be best to consider such measures as part of broader immigration reform that deals simultaneously with all aspects of this problem: secure borders, rapid and reliable workplace enforcement, background checks, and realistic and humane quotas that meet the needs of our businesses and communities.  

Concerning border security, we need to be prepared to spend a significant amount of money to secure the border.  We must greatly increase the number of agents at the border, and also provide these agents with the tools, including roads and physical barriers, that they need to perform their duties fully and efficiently.  The relationship that Border Patrol Agents have with the Mexican government needs to be improved so that we can more easily identify who can and cannot legally enter the U.S., and also expedite the deportation process.

While border enforcement must remain a priority, immigration reform must include workplace enforcement as a key element, like a strengthened and more reliable form of the e-verify program.  Employers need to have a fast and reliable way to check if potential employees are legally able to work in the United States so that they can be held responsible for legal hiring practices.

I would like to see an accurate national database of American citizens, so that border patrol and employers can both quickly determine a person's citizenship status.