Our nation was founded and built by immigrants “yearning to breathe free.” I believe we should continue building on that proud tradition by welcoming newcomers into our nation while insisting that they learn and follow our language, laws, and history.

Our immigration system as it now stands is broken. It fails both our country and those who attempt to join it. We now have a system in place that incentivizes families to separate and send their children – alone -  on a dangerous trek across Mexico to come to our country under the false pretense that they will be granted citizenship at our border. This same system forces out immigrants who have gone through the appropriate channels to come to this country and gain an education. This perverse situation that rewards those who break our laws and punishes those that follow them goes  against what our country’s founders built and what our country stands for. 

This does not mean that are system is in dire need of a complete overhaul.  In fact, I believe 90 percent our of immigration issues would be solved if we just enforced the laws on the book. Simply put, the federal government is directly responsible for enforcing existing laws to secure our borders and ensure the safe and legal movement of people, goods, and commerce across our borders. I am strongly opposed to amnesty for illegal immigrants. Respect for the rule of law is a hallmark of our democracy, and one of the reasons America has the largest immigrant population in the world. We must work to streamline and improve our visa system so that people who want to come to our country legally through the proper channels are able to do so without unnecessary delays.