Immigration
Immigration issues impact all of us and are important to my work in Congress.
There is an immigration crisis in the United States, and the crisis is a failure to secure our border and enforce our laws. This has led to large scale illegal immigration, and has inflicted social costs, economic losses, unemployment and crime on U.S. citizens. The Mexican government is having a hard time battling ruthless drug cartels, and the result is a porous border from the south. That means we have to be more resolved and diligent.
The federal government has not only failed in terms of border security and immigration policy, it has sued the State of Arizona in an effort to stop state and local officials from picking up their slack. I find that outrageous. The Constitution states in its Preamble, in no uncertain terms, that our Founding Charter is meant to “establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, [and] provide for the common defense…”. In fact, securing the homeland is the primary duty of any national government. If a nation’s citizenry is not safe from harm, then the business of governing is moot.
As a member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, I have held the Obama Administration’s feet to the fire over its failures to protect the citizens of Arizona and our country.
I have supported numerous articles of legislation and amendments which authorize more national guardsmen and federal officers at our borders, policies which provide for additional fencing to be built in a timely fashion, bills which aim to end “catch-and-release” and “turn-around” practices, and legislation to override executive branch directives which prohibit our men and women at the border from fulfilling their mission to secure our nation.
For my leadership and action on these issues, I have a career grade of “A” with the immigration enforcement advocacy group NumbersUSA.
It is true that the United States is a nation of immigrants. But more importantly, ours is a nation of laws. The Rule of Law, in addition to the God-given rights protected by our Constitution, is perhaps the main attraction for those who wish to immigrate to our great country. They may come from countries in which there are no fundamental rights or there is no equal application of law.
But I want to be absolutely clear: I oppose the President’s efforts to grant any sort of amnesty by executive fiat, and I oppose any efforts in Congress to grant amnesty to those who have broken our laws. To do so would be a slap in the face to the millions of people who have respected our laws and have waited their turn to come to this country—to be part of the Great American Experiment.
Before any major reforms to our immigration system are even debated, the federal government must do two things, and it must do them swiftly and efficiently. The executive branch must enforce the laws on the books with equal application and without executive orders to undermine those laws. But it must also verifiably secure the border with personnel, technology, and weaponry, if necessary.
The status quo is unsustainable, immoral, and a danger to the public. As I have said, “trust is a series of promises kept.” I do not trust this President or his Administration to enforce current immigration laws. To the contrary, I only trust that he seeks to undermine them for political gain. Until this Administration proves it will enforce the Rule of Law and decides to work with rather than against Arizona on securing our border, I will not support any sort of comprehensive immigration reform.
I will continue my efforts to secure this nation, to oversee the actions and inactions of the executive branch, and to hold accountable those who have no regard for the law or public safety.