Cruz's Immigration Plan: Timely Remedy for Amnesty and Syrian Refugee Crisis

I expected that the unveiling of his plan would take a back seat to the Islamic terrorist attack in Paris, France, and rightfully so. However, in lieu of the chaos, presidents will be forced to make many decisions during their tenure that will affect the safety and security of the American people. The Paris attack gave us a chance to see how our candidates would respond if an event like that occured during their administration. In a world with an ever increasing threat of an ISIS attack, immigration is no longer a matter of migration and sovereignty alone - it's a matter of national security.

I attended a rally for Sen. Ted Cruz last Friday. It was held at Faith Assembly of God, a local mega-church in Orlando, Florida. Sen. Cruz made a brief appearance in order to give a speech and shake hands with some of his supporters. He, along with all of the other GOP presidential candidates, was scheduled to speak at the Sunshine Summit across town. As an esteemed member of the press (yeah right), I was handed two sheets of paper prior to his arrival at the church from a member of his campaign team.

What I read made it clear that our federal government, particularly the White House, would no longer be in the business of importing terrorists or exporting American jobs under a Cruz administration.

Cruz's plan doesn't explicitly address the deportation of the estimated 11 million illegal foreigners residing within our nation's borders currently. Nonetheless, it's almost certain that self deportation would be the end result of his plan. Self deportation is a more viable option than Donald Trump's plan to corral illegal foreigners and throw them out, considering the divided and often feckless Congress in Washington, D.C.

Sen. Cruz wisely divided his plan into three categories. All of which are essential in restoring our immigration system, Judeo-Christian heritage, healthy job wages and national sovereignty. The plan entails how he would secure the border, restore the rule of law, and reform legal immigration to protect Americans. Within each category Sen. Cruz offered specific and in depth objectives to implement his plan, along with a "promise" to see it through. I've listed them all below in bold face lettering, along with my own brief commentary (not in bold face) as to why each is essential for a border plan going forward:

A.) Build a wall that works. After passing legislation in 2006 to complete a 700 mile fence across our southern border and having it signed by then President George W. Bush, Congress managed to build a menial 36 miles worth of fence. Ted Cruz promised to "complete" the remaining 664 miles worth of concrete enforced fencing.

B. Triple the number of border patrol agents. The federal government is obligated to enforce our border laws. Having more man power will help in that effort and let the countries south of our border know we mean business.

C. Increase vital aerial surveillance and other technology along the border. Although I'm skeptical of the effectiveness of this particular aspect of securing our border security, Sen. Cruz argues that "eyes in the sky and other equipment are necessary to find and detain all illegal entrants."

D.) Finish the biometric tracking system at our nation's ports of entry. Approximately 60 percent of illegal foreigners that enter our country legally on temporary visa programs never leave. A tracking system is crucial to curtail that.

A.) End President Obama's illegal amnesty. Sen. Cruz promises to rescind each of Obama's 20 executive orders that has fomented illegal immigration his first day in office. Having argued before the Supreme Court nine times, I tend to believe he knows what he's doing.

B.) Increase deportations and end catch-and-release. Deportations and returns have to be taken seriously. Ted Cruz has promised to rededicate the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to "fully enforcing the law."

C.) End sanctuary policies. Sanctuary cities are a spit in the face to those who immigrated to our country legally. They undermine any incentive for illegal foreigners to assimilate. This must be stopped! Three hundred-forty jurisdictions in the U.S. refuse to enforce our immigration laws. Cruz has promised to sign "Kate's law, and deport criminal immigrants."

D.) Prohibit illegal immigrants from receiving financial benefits and strengthen E-Verify. People who broke our border laws don't deserve welfare from U.S. citizens. Additionally, American jobs should go to Americans. This policy will help accomplish that objective.

A.) Suspend the issuance of all H-1B visas for 180 days to complete a comprehensive investigation and audit of pervasive allegations of abuse of the program. Ted Cruz also promised to "initiate an immediate 90-day investigation and audit" of the H-1B visa program to protect American jobs. I would like more details on this.

B.) Halt any increases in immigration so long as American unemployment remains unacceptably high. Until American workers are near full employment it makes no sense to saturate the low skilled labor market and drive down wages.

C.) Enforce the public-charge doctrine. I love this! If you come to this country it is incumbent upon you and no one else to take care of yourself! Let's restore the "American Dream" not the "Great society."

D.) End birthright citizenship. As a black American it is offensive how our 14^th Amendment is being used to justify lawless acts by illegal foreigners when it was written to protect freedmen! Sen. Cruz promises to "take steps to pass legislation or a constitutional amendment to end it."

America is the only industrialized nation in the modern world with weak border policy. Other candidates are "campaigning" about what they'd do to secure the border, but knowing what we know about Sen. Cruz, he's just speaking truth.

Trump’s Plan:

Immigration Reform That Will Make America Great Again

The three core principles of Donald J. Trump’s immigration plan

When politicians talk about â€œimmigration reformâ€ they mean: amnesty, cheap labor and open borders. The Schumer-Rubio immigration bill was nothing more than a giveaway to the corporate patrons who run both parties.

Real immigration reform puts the needs of working people first â€“ not wealthy globetrotting donors. We are the only country in the world whose immigration system puts the needs of other nations ahead of our own. That must change. Here are the three core principles of real immigration reform:

1. A nation without borders is not a nation. There must be a wall across the southern border.

2. A nation without laws is not a nation. Laws passed in accordance with our Constitutional system of government must be enforced.

3. A nation that does not serve its own citizens is not a nation. Any immigration plan must improve jobs, wages and security for all Americans.

Make Mexico Pay For The Wall

For many years, Mexicoâ€™s leaders have been taking advantage of the United States by using illegal immigration to export the crime and poverty in their own country (as well as in other Latin American countries). They have even published pamphlets on how to illegally immigrate to the United States. The costs for the United States have been extraordinary: U.S. taxpayers have been asked to pick up hundreds of billions in healthcare costs, housing costs, education costs, welfare costs, etc. Indeed, the annual cost of free tax credits alone paid to illegal immigrants quadrupled to $4.2 billion in 2011. The effects on jobseekers have also been disastrous, and black Americans have been particularly harmed.

The impact in terms of crime has been tragic. In recent weeks, the headlines have been covered with cases of criminals who crossed our border illegally only to go on to commit horrific crimes against Americans. Most recently, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, with a long arrest record, is charged with breaking into a 64 year-old womanâ€™s home, crushing her skull and eye sockets with a hammer, raping her, and murdering her. The Police Chief in Santa Maria says the â€œblood trailâ€ leads straight to Washington.

In 2011, the Government Accountability Office found that there were a shocking 3 million arrests attached to the incarcerated alien population, including tens of thousands of violent beatings, rapes and murders.

Meanwhile, Mexico continues to make billions on not only our bad trade deals but also relies heavily on the billions of dollars in remittances sent from illegal immigrants in the United States back to Mexico ($22 billion in 2013 alone).

In short, the Mexican government has taken the United States to the cleaners. They are responsible for this problem, and they must help pay to clean it up.

The cost of building a permanent border wall pales mightily in comparison to what American taxpayers spend every single year on dealing with the fallout of illegal immigration on their communities, schools and unemployment offices.

Mexico must pay for the wall and, until they do, the United States will, among other things: impound all remittance payments derived from illegal wages; increase fees on all temporary visas issued to Mexican CEOs and diplomats (and if necessary cancel them); increase fees on all border crossing cards â€“ of which we issue about 1 million to Mexican nationals each year (a major source of visa overstays); increase fees on all NAFTA worker visas from Mexico (another major source of overstays); and increase fees at ports of entry to the United States from Mexico [Tariffs and foreign aid cuts are also options]. We will not be taken advantage of anymore.

Defend The Laws And Constitution Of The United States

America will only be great as long as America remains a nation of laws that lives according to the Constitution. No one is above the law. The following steps will return to the American people the safety of their laws, which politicians have stolen from them:

Triple the number of ICE officers. As the President of the ICE Officersâ€™ Council explained in Congressional testimony: â€œOnly approximately 5,000 officers and agents within ICE perform the lionâ€™s share of ICEâ€™s immigration missionâ€¦Compare that to the Los Angeles Police Department at approximately 10,000 officers. Approximately 5,000 officers in ICE cover 50 states, Puerto Rico and Guam, and are attempting to enforce immigration law against 11 million illegal aliens already in the interior of the United States. Since 9-11, the U.S. Border Patrol has tripled in size, while ICEâ€™s immigration enforcement arm, Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), has remained at relatively the same size.â€ This will be funded by accepting the recommendation of the Inspector General for Tax Administration and eliminating tax credit payments to illegal immigrants.

Nationwide e-verify. This simple measure will protect jobs for unemployed Americans.

Mandatory return of all criminal aliens. The Obama Administration has released 76,000 aliens from its custody with criminal convictions since 2013 alone. All criminal aliens must be returned to their home countries, a process which can be aided by canceling any visas to foreign countries which will not accept their own criminals, and making it a separate and additional crime to commit an offense while here illegally.

Detentionâ€”not catch-and-release. Illegal aliens apprehended crossing the border must be detained until they are sent home, no more catch-and-release.

Defund sanctuary cities. Cut-off federal grants to any city which refuses to cooperate with federal law enforcement.

Enhanced penalties for overstaying a visa. Millions of people come to the United States on temporary visas but refuse to leave, without consequence. This is a threat to national security. Individuals who refuse to leave at the time their visa expires should be subject to criminal penalties; this will also help give local jurisdictions the power to hold visa overstays until federal authorities arrive. Completion of a visa tracking system â€“ required by law but blocked by lobbyists â€“ will be necessary as well.

Cooperate with local gang task forces. ICE officers should accompany local police departments conducting raids of violent street gangs like MS-13 and the 18th street gang, which have terrorized the country. All illegal aliens in gangs should be apprehended and deported. Again, quoting Chris Crane: â€œICE Officers and Agents are forced to apply the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Directive, not to children in schools, but to adult inmates in jails. If an illegal-alien inmate simply claims eligibility, ICE is forced to release the alien back into the community. This includes serious criminals who have committed felonies, who have assaulted officers, and who prey on childrenâ€¦ICE officers should be required to place detainers on every illegal alien they encounter in jails and prisons, since these aliens not only violated immigration laws, but then went on to engage in activities that led to their arrest by police; ICE officers should be required to issue Notices to Appear to all illegal aliens with criminal convictions, DUI convictions, or a gang affiliation; ICE should be working with any state or local drug or gang task force that asks for such assistance.â€

End birthright citizenship. This remains the biggest magnet for illegal immigration. By a 2:1 margin, voters say itâ€™s the wrong policy, including Harry Reid who said â€œno sane countryâ€ would give automatic citizenship to the children of illegal immigrants.

Put American Workers First

Decades of disastrous trade deals and immigration policies have destroyed our middle class. Today, nearly 40% of black teenagers are unemployed. Nearly 30% of Hispanic teenagers are unemployed. For black Americans without high school diplomas, the bottom has fallen out: more than 70% were employed in 1960, compared to less than 40% in 2000. Across the economy, the percentage of adults in the labor force has collapsed to a level not experienced in generations. As CBS news wrote in a piece entitled â€œAmericaâ€™s incredible shrinking middle classâ€: â€œIf the middle-class is the economic backbone of America, then the country is developing osteoporosis.â€

The influx of foreign workers holds down salaries, keeps unemployment high, and makes it difficult for poor and working class Americans â€“ including immigrants themselves and their children â€“ to earn a middle class wage. Nearly half of all immigrants and their US-born children currently live in or near poverty, including more than 60 percent of Hispanic immigrants. Every year, we voluntarily admit another 2 million new immigrants, guest workers, refugees, and dependents, growing our existing all-time historic record population of 42 million immigrants. We need to control the admission of new low-earning workers in order to: help wages grow, get teenagers back to work, aid minoritiesâ€™ rise into the middle class, help schools and communities falling behind, and to ensure our immigrant members of the national family become part of the American dream.

Additionally, we need to stop giving legal immigrant visas to people bent on causing us harm. From the 9/11 hijackers, to the Boston Bombers, and many others, our immigration system is being used to attack us. The President of the immigration caseworkers union declared in a statement on ISIS: â€œWe’ve become the visa clearinghouse for the world.â€

Here are some additional specific policy proposals for long-term reform:

Increase prevailing wage for H-1Bs. We graduate two times more Americans with STEM degrees each year than find STEM jobs, yet as much as two-thirds of entry-level hiring for IT jobs is accomplished through the H-1B program. More than half of H-1B visas are issued for the program’s lowest allowable wage level, and more than eighty percent for its bottom two. Raising the prevailing wage paid to H-1Bs will force companies to give these coveted entry-level jobs to the existing domestic pool of unemployed native and immigrant workers in the U.S., instead of flying in cheaper workers from overseas. This will improve the number of black, Hispanic and female workers in Silicon Valley who have been passed over in favor of the H-1B program. Mark Zuckerbergâ€™s personal Senator, Marco Rubio, has a bill to triple H-1Bs that would decimate women and minorities.

Requirement to hire American workers first. Too many visas, like the H-1B, have no such requirement. In the year 2015, with 92 million Americans outside the workforce and incomes collapsing, we need companies to hire from the domestic pool of unemployed. Petitions for workers should be mailed to the unemployment office, not USCIS.

End welfare abuse. Applicants for entry to the United States should be required to certify that they can pay for their own housing, healthcare and other needs before coming to the U.S.

Jobs program for inner city youth. The J-1 visa jobs program for foreign youth will be terminated and replaced with a resume bank for inner city youth provided to all corporate subscribers to the J-1 visa program.

Refugee program for American children. Increase standards for the admission of refugees and asylum-seekers to crack down on abuses. Use the monies saved on expensive refugee programs to help place American children without parents in safer homes and communities, and to improve community safety in high crime neighborhoods in the United States.

Immigration moderation. Before any new green cards are issued to foreign workers abroad, there will be a pause where employers will have to hire from the domestic pool of unemployed immigrant and native workers. This will help reverse women’s plummeting workplace participation rate, grow wages, and allow record immigration levels to subside to more moderate historical averages.

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