Sam's The Man

I love having Sam Johnson as my U.S. Representative. My senators aren't too bad either.

Immigration Reform – You bet! Blanket amnesty – No way! By
Congressman Sam Johnson
Washington, Apr 17 -

Recently, the U.S. Senate almost passed blanket amnesty for the 11 million illegal immigrants already here in America. Thankfully the proposal stalled and the Senate adjourned for a two-week recess – abandoning this hot-button issue for now. The Senators would be wise if they took this break to listen to the outrage from their constituents and consider moving forward with the common-sense immigration reform bill passed by the House of Representatives.

The proposed Senate legislation was a complete disaster and utter failure for America. The Senate bill was unwise, unfair, and unnecessary: unwise because jobs that exist today in an expanding economy will not necessarily be there in the next economic downturn; unfair to the millions of would-be legal immigrants waiting patiently in line (in their countries) to come here; and unnecessary because some come here illegally to work, earn money, and return to their home country—not because they want to become citizens.

Have the Senators forgotten how America “solved” the illegal immigration problem in the 1980s when we allowed three million illegal immigrants to become citizens? It didn’t work back then and it won’t work now. We must learn from our mistakes! Allowing people to skirt the law because they’ve been in America for a while is NOT the answer. Preventing them from crossing our border in the first place – is.

The House-passed version of immigration reform does just that and provides much needed common-sense reforms. The House proposal deals with enforcement first. One, the bill ends the so-called “catch and release” program that discourages law enforcement officials from deporting illegal immigrants when apprehended. Two, the bill creates better ways for employers to verify legal status of future employees. Three, the bill increases penalties for aliens re-entering illegally. Four, the bill ensures coverage of the entire southern border by creating physical barriers and using wide-spread, state-of-the-art technology, including cameras, sensors, radar,
satellite, and unmanned aerial vehicles to better guard the border. Five, the bill ups penalties for alien smuggling and eliminates any chance for aliens who are terrorists or security risks from becoming U.S. citizens.

The House bill’s approach of enforcement first means we shore up our porous
borders and get tough with those who break our laws.

Presently, our lax enforcement of immigration laws is a joke. Blanket amnesty as proposed in the Senate would attract many millions of illegal immigrants from all over the world. That would be unacceptable…plain and simple.