Knowing of your interest in immigration issues, I wanted to inform you of today's New York Times story indicating that President Obama plans to propose an immigration bill that would provide amnesty to as many as 12 million illegal immigrants currently living in the United States.  The article cites Cecilia Muñoz, a deputy assistant to the President and former top official at the National Council of La Raza, as stating that the President will begin working on legislation in the next few months and push for a vote in Congress as early as this fall.

I believe it is a serious mistake for the President to reopen this divisive issue and create another distraction for Congress at a time when we should be focused on reviving our struggling economy and keeping our nation secure.  Additionally, recent news reports have highlighted the increasingly violent drug wars raging across Mexico.   In the past, amnesty proposals have consistently failed to ensure that illegal immigrants involved in the drug trade and other criminal enterprises will be deported.  Now more than ever, the first priority of any immigration-related legislation should be securing the Mexican border and providing resources for law enforcement to prosecute and deport illegal immigrants who engage in criminal behavior.