Posted on 05/28/2006 8:12:58 PM PDT by davidosborne
I am adding this thread for everyone to POST their OPEN letters to congress on this debate.. please take the actual discussions to other threads.. The purpose of this is so that we can PRINT THIS THREAD and fax/mail it to OUR REPS !!
/mark
MY MESSAGE TO CONGRESS:
Like many Americans, I am very concerned about the direction of the immigration enforcement and policy in this country, concerned enough to have personally read through most of the text of both bills passed in Congress, HR4437 and S.2611. I appreciate your proposals, given to the Heritage foundation last week. Here is my input as you go into conference with the Senate.
It is clear to most Americans that we need "ENFORCEMENT FIRST". Twenty years of amnesties and lax enforcement has led us to our situation of millions of illegal immigrants in this country. It won’t get fixed overnight, but when a boat has a leak and is sinking the first thing to do is to plug the leak. Secure the border, and establish working employment verification systems to enforce immigration laws in the workplace. Establish the rule of law in our immigration system first before you do anything else. HR4437 does this, and the conference bill should as well.
The Senate bill S.2611 takes the wrong approach and repeats mistakes made in the 1986 bill, granting an open-ended legalization/citizenship path, aka amnesty. Worse, it is filled with many flawed 'poison pill' provisions that undercut border and interior immigration law enforcement. The bill should be scrapped outright.
The conferees should start from the text of HR4437, make minimal amount of adjustments from Senate side, and report out essentially the House bill. This is not just my view, but most American voters' views when they are informed of the legislative provisions. Stacked head to head, the House bill received 56 percent support while the Senate bill received 28 percent support in the Zogby America survey.
If there are to be any provisions for legalization for illegal immigrants and/or a new guest worker program, there needs to be clear ground rules on what to do and what not to do:
The first rule is ENFORCEMENT FIRST. No legalization or worker visa should happen until borders are secure and new employment verification systems are up and running. Use Isaakson Amendment language so that any new visa category, temporary worker program or legalization cannot get implemented until DHS has fully implemented border security and employment verification.
A real employment verification system must be extended to all employers, funded, implemented and must be allowed to work: Senate bill provisions are destined to fail and put burdens on the Federal Govt that actually stymie workplace enforcement, as explained by Senator Cornyn in Senate debate. Eliminate the Senate language; the House approach is better.
Illegal immigrants should not be granted benefits or amnesty in this bill. This means:
- NO path to permanent residency and citizenship; any path to full legalization should be through their home countries and the regular immigration and visa process, subject to overall immigration limits (so we don’t ‘solve’ the immigration problem by surrendering to a flood of permanent immigration);
- NO amnesty of any prior tax liabilities or prior immigration orders;
- NO Social security benefits based on fraudulent social security numbers;
- NO In-state tuition rates (i.e., remove DREAM Act provisions);
- NO welfare, EITC or other Government benefits on temporary worker visas
We should maintain permanent immigration limits, limiting annual number of permanent immigrants accepted, inclusive of immigration flows from legalized illegal immigrants: One of the great flaws of the Senate bill is the open-ended legalization that removes control over total immigration flow. Instead, we should have a total overall cap on LPR (permanent residency) applications accepted per year. LPR applications should be selected on available slots in visa category limits and based on the best applicants with respect to wage levels, skill/education levels, and English proficiency. A total annual numerical cap will ensure that total immigration flows are bounded.
Do not over-regulate employment and wages: Remove the Davis-Bacon provisions and ease prevailing wage provisions; Remove the provisions for ‘just cause’ firing. Regulations should be consistent across visa categories ( make H1B and unskilled visa employment regs similar).
Eliminate invitations to fraud: Statements such as "recognizes and takes into account the difficulties encountered by aliens in obtaining evidence of employment due to the undocumented status of the alien." in the Senate bill, is an invitation to fraudulent applications. The INS should instead interpret documentation submissions from a perspective that avoids accepting fraudulent applications. Provisions that prohibit the use of information in applications for any other use is counterproductive to investigations and fraud reduction. Spousal abuse amnesty provisions are an invitation to both fraud and false allegations. Delete these provisions.
The "Earned legalization" package of S.2611 should be eliminated – it is amnesty.
Diversity quotas should be eliminated (as House bill does), and replaced with simple rules limiting the immigration from any one country to a fraction (e.g. under 10%) of our total legal immigration flows. As we increase employment-based immigration visa quotas, correspondingly lower family-sponsorship quotas;for example, adult sibling sponsorship.
Temporary Guest Worker Program should mean what it says: NO path to Permanent Residency and citizenship; Eliminate the path to LPR adjustment or greatly reduce it from current Senate bill wrongly has no caps on permanent residency applications from those getting adjustment from illegal alien status. Use Hutchison or Kyl-Cornyn bills as legislative language for a real guest worker program. Do not allow for self-sponsorship for LPR adjustment, and eliminate lax work requirements; this visa should be employer-sponsored only.
If you don’t fully drop the Senate bill language, then many additional flaws and problems in the Senate bill must NOT be part of a conference bill, including:
Miniscule work requirements in the AgJobs portion of the bill
Requirement to advise Mexico prior to building any fencing
AgJobs gives taxpayer-funded lawyers for filing alien appeals, and requirements for lawyers to write applications
Gives unlimited family legalization/amnesty when one member qualifies (H-4 visa)
Insufficient border security and border fence provisions compared with the House bill
A terrorist loophole that restricts arrests on civil immigration violations
Changes how immigration courts are run in ways that will worsen how they operate
There is a national consensus that we must secure our borders and enforce the immigration laws better. While we should find a reasonable approach to handle illegal immigrants in the U.S. now, there is no consensus on the answer. The Senate bill is not the answer, it repeats errors of the 1986 massive legalization/amnesty and contains far too many provisions that incite further illegal immigration and undermine the rule of law in immigration.
The conference should write a bill that covers the critical needs in immigration:
Secure the border first
Set up an employment verification system that works
Streamline deportation and immigration law to reduce litigation in deportations
Involve State and local law enforcement in immigration law enforcement
All of that is embodied in the House bill today, HR4437, and should be readily adopted by the conference committee. Such a common-ground bill would be a good ‘down payment’ on immigration reform that deals with the immediate immigration crisis and helps move us forward to address remaining immigration issues.
7 posted on 05/28/2006 8:02:22 PM EDT by WOSG (Do your duty, be a patriot, support our Troops - VOTE!)
Sincerely,
ElkGroveDan
P.S. during the next reapportionment please do what you can to get me drawn back into Richard Pombo's district.
THIS POST COPIED FROM A LIBERAL WEBSITE ...
I sent a version of this post to various Senators and Congressional Representatives.
I post it here to point out that many democrats do not support increased immigration.
My husband and I, along with many of our friends, have been watching the immigration debate with great interest. I write today to inform you that though my husband has a good paying job, we have not shared in the often touted "booming economy." We are not suffering, but we fail to understand the massive redistribution of wealth to the few, very rich, not just through tax cuts, but also through everyday government policy and legislation. The term "corporatocracy" aptly describes our view that government has abdicated responsibility for the welfare of the nation in favor of big business campaign donors.
I'm 45 and have never felt more betrayed by my government. Who is left to work for the interests of the middle class? This used to be the domain of the democrats, but any cursory glance at congressional voting records shows this is no longer true. Who do you think will be left to buy goods and services when the middle class becomes the underclass?
This brings me to my point. My husband and I are WILL NEVER AGAIN VOTE for anyone who works against our interests, driving middle class wages down, increasing crowding and home prices, etc., by supporting increased immigration, much less offering "earned citizenship" (which is in fact earned amnesty) to illegal aliens. THERE IS NO JOB AN AMERICAN WON'T DO, only jobs employers won't pay an American to do.
The solution is very simple, as you well know. ENFORCE STRICT, COSTLY SANCTIONS AGAINST EMPLOYERS OF ILLEGAL ALIENS. The rest of the problem will solve itself.
Please stop allowing illegal aliens and corporations to gut the wages of the middle class. You are, after all, a democrat.
Very seriously yours,
P.S. As I am not a corporate donor, I'll await your FORM LETTER reply.
Illegal immigrants should not be granted any of
these benefits in this bill:
- A path to permanent residency and citizenship;
such 'special treatment' in legalization is "amnesty", and the path to full legalization should be through their home countries and the regular immigration process;
- Amnesty of partial prior tax liabilities;
- Social security benefits based on fraudulent social security numbers; (NO SS BENEFITS while working here illegally or for non-citizens)
- In-state tuition rates (DREAM Act, which should be eliminated);
- Welfare benefits or Government assistance at all ever!
- NO EIC benefits
- Eliminate the anchor baby act immediately
Enforcement first secure the border immediately!
Pass HR4437 and yes make it a felony to invade the U.S.A.!!
54 posted on 05/28/2006 8:22:32 AM EDT by stopem (God Bless the U.S.A. and the Troops who protect her.)
Dear Congress,
I don't give a whit about the formalities required, as you people have forgone that nicety, many moons ago. I don't want to hear anybody whine about how this, that, and the other is too hard, either. Just do your job and abide by our constitution. Stop placating ILLEGALS and SECURE OUR BORDERS-NOW! NOT TOMMORROW, OR THE NEXT DAY, but NOW!!!
ANOTHER POST from a LIBERAL BLOGGER..
I support the House bill...
I never thought I would hear myself say that, but--the Senate bill will hurt our economy and lower the wages of hard-working Americans who are barely making ends meet and I am furious with Ted Kennedy, Reid and all the Dems who voted for this bill.
On this issue I'm not a Democrat or a Republican---just an AMERICAN who is concerned about out-of-control immigration and border policies.
Politicians who voted for the Senate bill are opportunists shilling for corporate donations at the expense of the American worker. It's all political; compassion has nothing to do with their motives.
Here is what another LIBERAL blogger has to say....
There is no honest effort whatsoever in the Senate bill to secure borders or reduce illegal immigration.
In contrast, there is an overpowering effort made to offer blanket amnesty, or earned amnesty to as many illegal aliens as possible, as well as increase future immigration as much as possible.
The end result will be worsened border security and greater suppression of American wages by the flood of new illegal immigrants into the country.
The Democratic Party may well lose any advantage they had in the November 2006 elections as a result of their complete sellout of the middle class and American workers.
I will vote for the opponent of every one of those who support this Amnesty farce. And I will actively contribute money to Senator Feinstein's and Boxer's opponents.
Their vote is a complete sellout of the American worker and is completely unacceptable.
Yes, the border issue certainly helped me decide how bad the corruption is in this country because the propositions flying around the Whitehouse and US Senate defy logic. Yes, the underlying dynamic finally crystallized for me on this single issue. The thought that anyone with an ounce of logic would support propositions that have allowed and will continue to allow our country to be overrun with tens of millions of indigents was incomprehensible? For a while I and many others (possibly you) thought the president and certain senators (dems and pubbies alike):
1) had a heart for illegal immigrants- WRONG! or
2) were reaching out to illegals and trying to build their respective voting constituencies for the future- MOSTLY WRONG!
The overarching truth is, in their worldview, it's a world of business and sovereign nations only serve to restrict business operations and ultimately, profits. Who needs borders? Free trade, cheap labor, and open borders for all! Yep, they're all one world government whores sold out to their big business constituents. That's the only explanation that is consistent with their actions over the last 25 years. In truth, they've all sold us down the river for big business and a one world government which will benefit.... you guessed it.... big business.
May 12, 2006
Senator Frist:
I am baffled by the tone deafness you and your fellow politicians exhibit on the immigration issue. Every one of you knows by now that the vast majority of AMERICANS totally reject the idea of any so-called comprehensive immigration reform instead of a simple bill that addresses these two issues alone: (1) Stop the INVASION by illegal aliens by any and all appropriate means, and (2) punish - SEVERELY - the employers that violate the law by hiring illegal aliens.
The ONLY secondary issues you should consider are the technical means to directly support these primary purposes.
Perhaps you think that we will forget what you are doing to us by election time, or by some time in the more distant future when the furor has subsided. I assure you, the furor may end, but the absolute FURY will NEVER subside. Far better to save your President from this folly than to join him in it. This is political suicide, and I am amazed that you lemmings don't realize how close you are to the edge of the cliff. Jump over, and there will be no way back for a single one of you."
May 26, 2006
Senator Frist,
Not a single WORD of that abominable amnesty bill deserves to be seen in public, and those of you who bear responsibility for it ought to have the decency to display shame instead of trumpeting your failure to protect the CITIZENS - remember us, the voters? - of Tennessee and this Country we hold so dear.
You and your co-conspirators have utterly FAILED in your duty and your oath of office, and it is now up to the House to protect us from your depredations of our treasure, our rights, and our unique benefits of citizenship.
When my son attended college in another state, I paid out of state tuition to send him there - you would give an illegal alien more rights than any CITIZEN.
If I committed ID theft to secure employment I was not entitled to, I would go to jail - but you give an illegal alien social security benefits based on that felony!
I could go on, but it makes no more sense than this garbage you have thrust on us, and your evident perverse pleasure in bragging about this nefarious accomplishment.
Make no mistake - the anger and betrayal we feel will not subside in a year or two, or even ten. The insult, in medical terms, will leave a terrible, deep scar and the kind of constant pain that will keep it in mind forever.
When they call the roll in the Senate, the Senators do not know whether to answer 'Present' or 'Not guilty.' Theodore Roosevelt 26th president of US (1858 - 1919)
Mexicans are not the only invaders rushing our borders, North and South. Hezbollah, Red Chinese, and many other criminals come with them. Anyone with an ounce of sense knows that you close borders during wartime. People who truly come here to work in fields should come under special and limited permits, and should be registered. The Republican party will suffer great setbacks if severe measures are not immediately taken.
bttt
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