The United States is a nation of immigrants and it is also a nation of laws. I believe that those seeking to enter the U.S. should do so through the legal process that is already in place. For this reason, I oppose the President’s amnesty initiatives that skirt the law and serve to undermine our legal immigration system. Providing amnesty sends the wrong message to those who want to come to America legally. I have cosponsored and voted for legislation to defund the President’s amnesty plan.

Border Security First - The first step in addressing our nation’s broken immigration system is to secure our borders. The failure to secure our nation’s borders will lead to further illegal immigration, while leaving us vulnerable to those seeking to cross the border to cause us harm. I toured the Southwest border earlier this year with law enforcement and met with those living along the border. I saw the severity of the situation firsthand. Simply put, our border is not secure and it is putting the safety of the American people at risk. We must take the necessary steps to finally secure our border and ensure the states have the resources they need to adequately protect those borders.

Deporting Criminal Aliens - Criminal aliens should be deported. The Administration’s current policy of releasing thousands of criminal aliens back onto our streets makes our communities less safe.

Adverse Economic Consequences for Lower Income Americans - The Congressional Budget Office released a report on the Senate Amnesty initiative from the last Congress stating that it would reduce the incomes of lower income Americans for over a decade. Economic consequences like this should not be swept under the rug. Already, the unchecked broken immigration system is taxing our schools, hospitals, prisons and police forces.