Immigration

America is a nation of immigrants, but we are also a nation of laws. We should not reward those who come to our country illegally. In the last five years, North Carolina has seen its illegal immigrant population more than triple – among the largest increases in the United States. Our state now has the ninth largest illegal alien population in the country and is quickly moving up the list. This illegal immigrant population is costing North Carolina taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars per year for emergency medical care, education, incarceration, and deportation.

We must address our methods of admitting legal immigrants. While it is important to maintain our country’s traditional focus on reunifying families, we cannot allow chain migration to overwhelm our nation’s immigration system. Preference should be given only to immediate family members, not extended family members. We must also put emphasis on admitting immigrants based on their job skills, education, and proficiency in the English language.

Currently, the United States operates a Visa Lottery program, which randomly grants permanent resident status to 50,000 foreign nationals each year. This program should be eliminated, as it is inefficient and a threat to national security. A merit-based system would provide more opportunities to immigrants who can meet the needs of the American workforce and make positive contributions to the economy. These issues must be addressed if we are to have truly effective immigration reform.

We all understand that we must secure our nation’s borders and stop illegal immigration. However, solving the illegal immigration crisis facing our nation cannot be done on a partisan basis; it will require bipartisan support. I am currently working with members of both parties to find that solution.

The SAVE Act

On July 23, 2009, I re-introduced H.R. 3308, the Secure America through Verification and Enforcement (SAVE) Act. While researching and writing this key piece of legislation, I had the opportunity to meet with countless federal, state and local agencies, in addition to leading experts in the field. The result of this work is a bipartisan piece of legislation with 75 Democratic and Republican Members of Congress as original co-sponsors. This legislation is endorsed by leaders in the business, labor and law enforcement communities.

The SAVE Act offers a 3-part plan to drastically reduce illegal immigration: a strict emphasis on border security, the verification of an employee’s legal status, and increased enforcement of existing laws. It provides a sensible solution to the illegal immigration crisis that is affecting every part of our nation.

Increased Border Security

The SAVE Act addresses border security by increasing manpower and making needed technological and infrastructure improvements on America’s northern and southern borders.

It calls for the hiring of 6,000 new Border Patrol Agents and provides the infrastructure – including vehicles, all-purpose roads, facilities, mobile lighting units, weapons, and body armor – they need to be effective. Additionally, it gives a blueprint of how to recruit and retain those agents. The SAVE Act also provides for the acquirement of advanced technologies along the border, including aerial surveillance systems and infrared technology.

Employment Verification

The SAVE Act protects American workers and law-abiding businesses from the unfair competition created by a massive illegal workforce by ensuring that all people working in the U.S. are here legally.

The SAVE Act does this by expanding the E-Verify program to provide all employers with the tools they need to ensure that their employees are legally authorized to work in this country.

E-Verify is a quick, easy, and free web-based system that cross-references Social Security numbers, and other pertinent information, to ensure that a worker is legally entitled to be employed in the U.S. It is already being successfully used by 130,000 American employers on a voluntary basis.

The SAVE Act gradually phases E-Verify in for all employers over four years, allowing businesses time to adapt. The phase-in starts with new hires for the federal government, government contractors, and businesses with over 250 employees in the first year.

Increased Interior Enforcement

To better enforce existing laws, the SAVE Act calls for the hiring of 1,150 new Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, as well as providing specialized training and support to local law enforcement officers. This increase in manpower will reduce the strain illegal immigration is placing on local police and sheriff’s departments.

The SAVE Act also calls for 20 additional immigration judges to process immigration cases more quickly. This will ultimately lead to speedier deportations of illegal immigrants and a reduction in detention periods, which are stressful for detainees and their families, as well as costly to the American taxpayer.

What Congress has Already Done

The House of Representatives recently passed the FY 2010 Homeland Security Appropriations bill. As passed by the House, the bill would greatly increase funding for the office of Customs and Border Patrol, as well as Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The bill also reauthorizes E-Verify for two years.

I am very pleased that the version of this bill that passed the Senate includes a permanent authorization of E-Verify and also mandates that all federal contractors and most subcontractors use the employment verification system.

In September, the House and Senate must go to conference in order to merge their two bills into one. I am working to ensure that all of these improvements in immigration enforcement remain in the version of the bill that this conference produces.