Posted on 05/03/2006 9:50:29 PM PDT by Jeff Head
I wrote Senator Larry Craig, one of my senators from Idaho, a direct letter in March regarding the immigration issue. It is posted on the internet HERE
I received a letter in the mail yesterday from Senator Craig (I had received an email from Senator Crapo earlier), wherein Senator Craig detailed a response to my issues. In that response he expressed a healthy desire for a stronger border security but expressed doubt that the border could be sealed, and that massive deportations could be accomplished because they would also cripple major U.S. industries. Therefore he felt a guest worker program had to be a part of the solution.
This is my respectful response to him.
May 3, 2006
Senator Craig,
I am in reciept of your letter to me dated, April 20, 2006, regarding the immigration issue, in response to my correspondence to you in March. There is much in your letter that we agree on, and I thank you for the correspondence from that respect.
However, there are a couple of areas where I must take issue with you and do my best to, as your constituent, and one who has supported your campaigns in the past, to share with you my heartfelt and direct feelings.
You indicate in the letter that any nation that fails to manage its borders canoot be secure at home. This is absolutely true and our borders have been mismanaged and not strongly enforced for several decades. Despite catching more people recently, the floodgates are still open and they simply must be closed. A double fence barrier should be built along the entire length and our ostuhern border and then patrolled by reserve and National Guard units from California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.
We could build or re-open training bases near the border to augment this.
The fact is, we are not managing our border and any attempt to devise a plan to manage the border issue by in any way rewarding those people who violated our laws and soveriegnty to get here simply cannot be put forward. I am extremely serious about this...it has become, for me, an issue like abortion where my vote hinges entirely on a correct approach and response to the issue. Any guest worker program that in essence says, "well, if you are already here and have been for a good while, we are going to help you along to citizenship so you are not a bad statistic for us anymore," is wholly unacceptable and will be met with my vote against a candidate who puts forward or supports any such plan, just as I would vote against any candidate who in any way supports abortion.
You indicate in your letter that, "even if blanket deportations and sealing the border were possible, they would collpase entire U.S. industries."
Senator, this arguement does not fly with me. First of all, those two things are possible and wholly warranted in the circumstances. We have illegal aliens marching in our streets demanding the vote and in many cases, demanding that soveriegn areas of our country be broken away from this nation. The Brown Berets of Aztlan, a militant group calling for just that, led the march in San Diego on May 1st. They are brazen and they are crass, and they are in our faces. Deportation is called for in such instances. Sealing the border is also not only possible, in my estimation, given your own statements in the letter to me, in a post 911 era, it is required.
As to industries shutting down, if we have reached a point where entire industries are dependent on illegal activities, it is high time we pay the price to shut them down. Pornography is a multi-billion dollar industry...it should be shut down. Industries hiring illegal aliens are breaking our laws and need to be adjusted, regardless of the pain, so they become legal. The way to do that is not to reward them for the illegality by changing the laws, which are good laws. It is to begin enforcing them.
I may sound harsh and disrespectful, I assure you I am not. I am just passionate about this issue as I believe tens of millions of Americans, in fact a majority of Americans, are as well.
I have thought about this and talked about it in great detail. Here are some recommendations:
1) Begin cracking down hard on companies that hire illegal aliens. Fine them, and where warranted, criminally prosecute them and incarcerate those who knowingly violate the laws. This will, as much as anything else, help alleviate the massive deportation issue because it will dry up the draw.
2) Outside of emergency services for indigent type situations, end all social services for illegal aliens, including the anchor baby interpretation of becoming a US citizen. These provisions along with those identified in item number one, would help dry up the draw and most illegals would then deport themselves.
3) Offer all illegals here a ninety day grace period to turn themselves over to ICE for deportaiton, which if they do, and pass a criminal background examination, will allow them to be favorably considered for future legal immigration after they return home and apply for the same through the legally proscribed method. It will also put them in favorable contention for the eventual guest worker program that will be available after these enforcement provisions have been in place for at least one year.
4) After the ninety days, and when items one and two are also in place, begin an aggressive program to identify and round up and deport remaining illegals. If they are caught after the ninety day grace period, make sure they know that they will never be considered for legal immigration or guest worker status in the United States.
5) In conjunction with these steps, also plan for and implement the following:
a) Building the double fence barrier along the border with physical and electronic checking, and cleared land on either side of the fence and between the two, topped woith razor wire.
b) Reopen existing or build new training bases along the border for the California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas Reserve and National Guard and have them conduct training operations in concert with regular army units also stationed on the border to monitor and interdict any illegal entry into this nation.
c) Perfomr the above in concert with ICE efforts.
d) Develop a volunteer auxillary of civilians who assist with the monitoring function. Similar to the Coast Guard auxillary. Thosuands would sign up to assist.
6) Once the fence is complete and the other provisions are in operations for at least a year, introduce a temporary guest worker program for any needed jobs. Make sure the emphasis is on hiring Americans first wherever possible and incent teenagers to take these jobs. For what cannot be filled, then introduce the guest worker program that includes the following provisions:
a) Applicants must pass a criminal background check.
b) Terms will be for three years, renewable at the employers discretion up to a year.
c) Guest workers cannot bring their families with them.
d) Any conviction for a crime other than a minor misdemeanor invalidates the permit and the worker is returned home after serving the sentence.
e) Guest workers are not automatically on the road to citizenship. They still must apply through the normal legal method for citizenship.
7) Illegal aliens who are caught entering, or residing in the country will be, after this program is implemented, deported after a five year incarceration where they are put to work on public projects. Each additional apprehension adds an additional five years to the next sentence, up to a maximum of 20 years.
Senator, such a program could be implemented if our politicians had the will. The majority of American people already have the will. The House of Representatives is very close to these types of provisions already. I urge you to reassess your position on some of these issues. We have reached a point with this crisis, and in the current circumstances of global terror, where we simply must have the will to accomplish these types of direct and straight forward measures.
Please visit the following links and read the details of Representative Kings proposal (Iowa Fifth District) and the stories of the vistims of what ammounts to this invasion by illegal entrants to our country.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1623720/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1625726/posts
The United States always has and always will welcome those people of the world who want to come here in the legally proscribed method and accept and bear allegiance to our constitution and the fundamental moral values that make it work. That is why we are free, that is why we are prosperous, and that is why we have what we have here. By breakling the law in the first place to come here, the very essence of that compact is broken and connot be fixed until the illegal alien returns to their home and seeks to come here in the legally proscribed method. In the mean time, thousands of crinimals and potential terrorists stream across into our nation, masked by the herd of illegals, who themselves are working a fundamental and dangerous change on our culture and society by their numbers and their willful disavowal of our laws.
Thank you for your attention to what I know has been a long letter.
Sincerely,
Jeff Head
Emmett, ID
IMHO, this is exactly the level of involvement (minimally) that we each need to have with our reps. Write them, when they respond, do not be afraid to ask them to toe the line.
FYI.
I'll be writing much of the same to Larry, once he responds to me. He may need to be replaced.
Thanks, you have expressed the views of a very large group of Americans. Again, thanks.
" I am disappointed that the Senate was not able to pass meaningful immigration reform, but remain committed to passing immigration legislation that does not reward illegal immigration through amnesty, includes strong border security and enforcement, and ensures that American citizens have the first right to available jobs.
I am aware of the detrimental impact that illegal immigration has on the economy and local communities. My record on immigration issues throughout my tenure in Congress has been consistent. I support aggressive border enforcement and have supported initiatives in the past to increase the number of border patrol agents operating on our borders and in the Pacific Northwest. I have also voted to enhance our abilities to stop illegal crossing of our borders. I oppose amnesty programs and am committed to ensuring that a person should not gain an advantage or benefit toward citizenship or legal permanent resident status as a result of illegal entry into the U.S."
CC's need to be sent to all 100 senators.
This is not a solution; it's the remark of a crank. The roofing industry in the Southwest is almost entirely illegals, as is the landscaping business. Shutting these down will produce a good number of disgruntled southwestern business owners who can certainly get their home builder friends and other general contractors to pressure their legislators to turn aside this recommendation. Your reference to pornography in your next sentence is irrelevant, as pornography, unfortunately, is a legal industry according to the courts.
Your arguments for deportation, while thoughtful, are not going to fly with the Senate or with the President. Deportation is not an option. I don't think even Tancredo is talking deportation at this point.
The anchor baby provision, of course, will have to be dealt with via a constitutional amendment, since the Supreme Court has declared them to be citizens. I don't think this has a chance in hell of even making it out of the Congress.
Thanks, feel free to cut ands paste whatever you want and send it on.
I too have been satisfied with Senator Crapo's responses to me on the immigration issue. Larry Craig's office has been somewhat hostile when defending his position on enforcement and fence building.
As I implied, better to bite the bullet now and fix it, than to continue on a path so clearly precipitous. But that's my opinion and you are free to your own.
Good on you for writing and venting in any case. I believe this issue is going to cut across lines and those, of either party, who do not stand up to this are going to be in trouble.
BUMP!
Same here.
But reinforcement for my Rep Dan Burton(R), yea, that will work.
I can sort of see where the pols are coming from. They only know what they read in the papers and those are remarkably uniniformed on this topic. Indeed, they've done a great deal deliberately to convince their readers that the people in the street constituted a majority. That's a disservice even to the Democrats, because they're going to get killed on this issue if they follow the lead of the NY Times in the matter. So will the Republicans.
The pols are frightened to death of being portrayed as coming down on a minority despite the fact that this particular minority is an illegal one. When a Rasmussen poll indicated that more than half of the Hispanic population in this country is in favor of enforcing the law here you really see the disconnect between the East-coast papers and the reality on the ground.
Exactly. Crapo is starting to get it...Craig is entrenched and may take a lot more convincing. The more he hears form us, and in straight terms, the better.
The Hoiuse has figured this out to date...I hope we can keep it together there. I am also asking our reps to hold the line with the Sensenbrenner Bill.
How does the importation of illegal labour differ from the importation of illegal drugs?
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