I wrote and asked him why he voted against it.
Here is his reply.
April 12, 2006
Dear ______:
Thank you for contacting me regarding immigration reform. I appreciate you taking the time to share your views with me.
I share your concerns about illegal immigration. I believe we must strengthen control over our borders through increased manpower, new technology and smarter law enforcement coordination. Additionally, we must expand the number of detention facilities for those caught crossing the border illegally and increase penalties for those who smuggle illegal immigrants into the United States.
I oppose blanket amnesty for those currently here illegally, and I believe that our security depends on ending the current practice of turning a blind eye to the large number of illegal immigrants in our country today.
You specifically mentioned your concerns about my opposition to a bill that was approved by the House of Representatives in December. While I support the bill’s stated goal of strengthening our borders, without a reformed guest worker program it fell far short of the comprehensive solution that Central Washington and our nation needs.
To stop illegal immigration and fix our broken immigration system, we must strengthen our borders and create a legal channel for workers to come here and fill jobs that Americans are not. A functional guest worker program means our government decides who enters our country, where they are, when they must leave, and what rules they must follow.
As a top producer of labor-intensive agriculture products, our region is heavily dependent upon an immigration workforce. Without a legal channel for honest and hardworking individuals to fill these jobs, I am concerned that agriculture would be left with a serious worker shortage and our entire economy would be hurt. The United States would be at serious risk of losing our fresh fruit and vegetable production to foreign countries. Furthermore, the cost of construction and basic services would increase - raising prices for every American.
As the conversation about immigration reform continues in Congress, I will work toward a plan that meets our security and economic needs. I look forward to voting for a final plan that addresses illegal immigration in a comprehensive manner.
Again, thank you for contacting me. Please do not hesitate to contact me again in the future on any matter of importance to you.
Sincerely, Doc Hastings, Member of Congress
As you can see he is for pumping a lot of money into MORE Detention Centers. No mention of building high fences/walls to keep them out in the first place. He is also chanting the same mantra as some. No Americans will do this kind of work.
I think his real reason for voting NAY was fear he would lose the votes from all the illegals in this district.
I view it as a pointless waste of taxpayer money to detain or otherwise incarcerate illegal aliens who have broken no other law than crossing the border. Send the illegals back and build a barricade.