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Mel Martinez on ImmigrationRepublican Jr Senator (FL); previously Secretary of H.U.D. |
Strongly oppose amnesty for illegal aliens
Q: Do you support any changes in immigration law? CASTOR: America is a nation of immigrants, and we should be open to those who come here legally to pursue their dreams. I would expedite citizenship for legal immigrants who are serving on active duty in the military. We need to make the system of asylum fair and equitable for unique groups like Haitians and Cubans, who are escaping repressive regimes. We must also ensure our borders are secure. Border security is no longer just an issue of immigration, it's crucial to our fight against terror.
MARTINEZ: Our immigration policy should first and foremost ensure the security of our nation and those individuals posing a terrorist threat should be prevented from entering our country. I strongly oppose amnesty for illegal aliens.
Amnesty rewards lawlessness
Our immigration policy should first and foremost ensure the security of our great Nation and those individuals posing a terrorist threat should be prevented from entering our country. I strongly oppose amnesty for illegal aliens; our immigration laws should not reward lawlessness.
End the flow of illegal aliens
Martinez will fight to secure our nation's borders and end the flow of illegal aliens to our country.
Voted YES on establishing a Guest Worker program.
- Voting YES establishes a guest worker program with a path to citizenship for illegal aliens who have worked in the US for 5 years. The bill:
- Increases border security and enforcement
- Makes it unlawful to knowingly hire, recruit, or refer for a fee an unauthorized alien.
- Establishes a temporary guest worker program (H-2C visa) with a three-year admission and one additional three-year extension; and issuance of H-4 nonimmigrant visas for accompanying or following spouse and children;
- Provides permanent resident status adjustment for a qualifying illegal alien, and family, for aliens who have been in the US and employed for five years.
- Proponents of the bill say:
- Our immigration system is broken and needs to be repaired. This bill is a strong step in the right direction. We need to protect our borders and look out for American workers, and we also need a responsible way to meet the need for temporary workers, particularly in the agricultural area, where they represent about 70 percent of the U.S. agricultural workforce, with a path to earned citizenship for hard-working, law abiding temporary workers. This bill, the product of bipartisan compromise, takes a commonsense approach to all of these issues.
- Opponents of the bill say:
- Our country has been built by immigrants. But the reason we have had quotas for immigration is the world has progressed in different parts of this globe at a very different rate. In some countries, the economies have lagged far behind.
- There are jobs available in this country with rates of pay that are far in excess of those of Third World countries. We have on our southern border people who aspire to come to this country. In order to protect our way of life and our standard of living and to protect jobs, we have quotas.
Voted YES on allowing illegal aliens to participate in Social Security.
Voting YEA would table (kill) the proposed amendment to prohibit illegal immigrants from receiving Social Security benefits. Voting NAY supports that prohibition, while voting YEA supports immigrants participating in Social Security. Text of amendment: To reduce document fraud, prevent identity theft, and preserve the integrity of the Social Security system, by ensuring that persons who receive an adjustment of status under this bill are not able to receive Social Security benefits as a result of unlawful activity.
- Proponents of the amendment say to vote NAY because:
- The Immigration Reform bill would allow people to qualify for social security based on work they did while they were illegally present in the US and illegally working in the US. People who broke the law to come here and broke the law to work here can benefit from their conduct to collect social security.
- In some cases, illegal immigrants may have stolen an American citizen's identity. They may have stolen an American's social security number to fraudulently work. This amendment corrects this problem.
- Opponents of the amendment say to vote YEA because:
- Americans understand that for years there are undocumented workers who have tried to follow our laws and be good neighbors and good citizens, and have paid into the Social Security Trust Fund.
- Once that person regularizes his or her status, and as they proceed down the path to earned citizenship, they should have the benefit after having followed the law and made those contributions. That is fairness.
- We should not steal their funds or empty their Social Security accounts. That is not fair. It does not reward their hard work or their financial contributions.
- The amendment proposes to change existing law to prohibit an individual from gaining the benefit of any contributions made while the individual was in an undocumented status. I oppose this amendment and believe it is wrong.