TOPICS:
		Overview
		Border Security
		Employers
		Pathway to Citizenship

---

Overview

Like you, I believe that comprehensive immigration reform is needed. In this post September 11, 2001 world, we must be concerned about border security and do more to ensure that we know who is entering the country, including taking practical steps to prevent people from illegally entering the country. This desire to strengthen our borders, however, should not disrupt the lives of people who legally came to the United States and are productive, taxpaying members of our communities. Additionally, we need to provide a path for the estimated 10 million undocumented workers currently in the U.S. to become documented through a legal process of applying for permanent residency or citizenship. It is clearly in the best interest of our country to identify these undocumented individuals and provide them with the necessary incentive to come out of the shadows and regularize their status.


Border Security

I believe that the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the nation’s first line of defense against illegal immigration, and I support efforts to strengthen the CBP’s work to secure America’s borders. However, I do not support building a wall over much of our Southwest border, as this is not a practical solution to prevent the entry of unlawful immigrants into the United States. Rather, such a fence would merely re-route unauthorized migration.

Employers

I believe that comprehensive immigration reform must include tough punishments for employers who knowingly hire undocumented immigrants. I support expanding E-Verify, operated by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in partnership with the Social Security Administration, to make it easy for employers to know who is authorized to work in the U.S. and who is not.

Pathway to Citizenship

I am opposed to complete amnesty for the estimated 10 million undocumented workers currently in the United States. Amnesty, as I understand it, is a general pardon granted by the government with no strings attached. It would be unfair to place those who illegally entered the country ahead of those who have been patiently waiting, perhaps separated from their loved ones, for a legal visa to become available. I support legislation to provide a path that requires people to go through the legal process of attaining a visa, applying for legal permanent residency, paying a penalty for their illegal entry, and then possibly becoming a citizen in the future.

Illegal immigration is rightfully a concern for many Americans, and I believe that comprehensive immigration reform is needed. These comprehensive measures—securing our borders, enforcing our laws, providing a legal path for undocumented immigrants already here to regularize their status, and holding employers accountable for hiring undocumented immigrants—provide a rational framework to address this challenge and enhance our national security.

 

IN-DEPTH: Press Releases | Legislation | Links

BACK TO TOP