Immigration

As Arizonans we understand and have seen first-hand the negative effects that illegal immigration has on our communities.  Unfortunately, the Obama Administration seems unwilling to address this growing problem and has instead pursued an open border agenda that will leave our state more vulnerable.  That is why I have made securing our border and ending illegal immigration a priority while serving in Congress.  I believe the first step of any immigration policy must be to secure our borders and end the flow of illegal immigration into our country.  
 
Further we must remove the magnets that draw people here illegally.  As long as opportunities for employment exist, the incentive to enter the United States illegally or to overstay visas will continue and efforts to stop illegal entry at U.S. borders will be undermined.  

Most importantly, it is time for Washington to stop making excuses and abdicating its responsibility to enforce our immigration laws.  I assure you I will continue to advocate for a strong immigration policy that secures our borders and ends illegal immigration.

Since Arriving in Washington I have supported a number of bills that will secure our border and reduce illegal immigration into our communities. These bills include:

• H.R. 2885, the Legal Workforce Act and have been urging House leaders to bring it up for a vote.  This bill makes the E-verify program, an internet-based application that allows employers to confirm an individual’s employment eligibility through the Social Security Administration, permanent and mandatory for all employers.
• H.R. 152, the National Guard Border Enforcement Act.  This legislation requires the Department of Defense to deploy 10,000 members of the National Guard to our southwest border until the Department of Homeland Security certifies that our border is secured
• H.R. 2497, the Hinder the Administration’s Legalization Temptation (HALT) Act of 2011, which would suspend the Obama Administration’s ability to exercise discretionary forms of immigration protections and relief until January 2013, the day after the first Obama administration, comes to an end.  This bill would also prevent the cancellation of existing deportation orders against illegal immigrants in the United States.
• H.R. 2670, the Jobs for Americans Act of 2011, which would allow state and local governments to pass laws that identify and apprehend illegal aliens, deter them from entering, and encourage or otherwise cause them to leave the United States.  Moreover, this bill recognizes the federal government’s failure to enforce illegal immigration laws and prohibits the Attorney General from using taxpayer funds to sue states that enact their own illegal immigration legislation.