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Immigration cutbacks proposed: Rep. Sam Graves R-Mo. wants legal immigration reduced to a trickle
St. Joseph News Press ^ | Jan. 9, 2003 | Ken Newton

Posted on 01/09/2003 3:59:53 PM PST by Missouri

The battle to safeguard the homeland starts with knowing who walks through the nations door.

(Excerpt) Read more at stjoenews-press.com ...


TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: immigrantlist; immigration
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1 posted on 01/09/2003 3:59:53 PM PST by Missouri
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To: Missouri
Sounds good to me...
2 posted on 01/09/2003 4:15:55 PM PST by AntiGuv
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To: madfly
fyi
3 posted on 01/09/2003 4:23:10 PM PST by Free the USA
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To: Missouri
….”personally I think we ought to seriously close down immigration in the United States until we get our policy set.”

What a novel idea, close down immigration until we get our policy set. Never happen! Makes too much sense; too prudent.

4 posted on 01/09/2003 4:23:57 PM PST by Turbodog
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To: Missouri
And until the country gets its house in order regarding immigration, the congressman says, “we need to clamp it down to a trickle.”

Hope congressman Graves has thick skin, doesn't matter how right he is or that the population supports this idea overwhelmingly, the pc police will soon descend down on him relentlessly until he "repents".

5 posted on 01/09/2003 4:40:45 PM PST by Reaganwuzthebest
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To: Turbodog
>>Never happen! Makes too much sense; too prudent.<<


One has to try.
If anyone lives in or near Sam's 6th district is welcome to have imput on this thread. All I know is he's at the other end of the state from me. His district includes the surburbs north of Kansas City and a lot of the northern corn belt. He won that district in 2002 by about a 2 to 1 margin.
He sure sounds better than my congressman.

6 posted on 01/09/2003 4:46:08 PM PST by Missouri
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To: Reaganwuzthebest
>>the pc police will soon descend down on him relentlessly until he "repents".<<



http://www.sos.state.mo.us/enrweb/raceresults.asp?eid=87&oid=24483&arc=

This link should show you that he's at least in a safe district. But you are right. The leftist media will attack this man.



7 posted on 01/09/2003 4:52:17 PM PST by Missouri
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To: Missouri
It easy and pun to post a whole article!

Thursday, January 09, 2003

Immigration cutbacks proposed

By KEN NEWTON
kenn@npgco.com

The battle to safeguard the homeland starts with knowing who walks through the nation’s door, U.S. Rep. Sam Graves believes. In the congressional session that began Tuesday, he hopes to make border security a front-burner issue. And until the country gets its house in order regarding immigration, the congressman says, “we need to clamp it down to a trickle.”

Mr. Graves, a Tarkio Republican who represents Missouri’s 6th District, addresses the subject of immigration that has gained new attention since men from the Middle East used jetliners to attack New York and Washington 16 months ago.

Before that, immigration reform generally revolved around economic, demographic and social-service issues. Now, the problems strike right at the heart of securing Americans on their native soil.

“I know we’re a country that welcomes people with open arms, but we’re in a whole different world now, post-Sept. 11,” Mr. Graves says. “We’re not immune to terrorism.”

Some reforms came about with passage of the Patriot Act in October 2001 and Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act in May 2002. Creation of the Department of Homeland Security also brings resources to the fight.

But Mr. Graves wants to apply more pressure.

“To me, that’s our weakest link, our immigration policy,” the lawmaker says. “There are some out there I’m sure that think this is an awfully bold step, but personally I think we ought to seriously close down immigration in the United States until we get our policy set.”

Numbers indicate the task is daunting. America attracts people from elsewhere, and thousands of miles of border can accommodate them.

The U.S. Border Patrol apprehended 47,731 people along the nation’s southwest boundary in November alone, the Immigration and Naturalization Service reports. That represents a 47 percent increase from the previous November. And those are just the people who got caught.

That’s just one compass point of the problem. Mr. Graves calls America’s boundary with Canada the “border of choice” for terrorists. Those who attacked on Sept. 11 came from the north.

At the time of the terrorists’ actions, America had about 965 Border Patrol agents overseeing a shared border with Canada that stretches over 4,000 miles, INS Commissioner James Ziglar testified before Congress.

And the increasing presence of foreign-born citizens is not unique to the nation’s fringes. Near the center of the country, the 11-county Kansas City metropolitan statistical area recorded 80,539 foreign-born residents in the 2000 census, up 125 percent from a decade earlier.

U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback, the Kansas Republican who co-authored the Enhanced Border Security measure with Sen. Ted Kennedy, told his colleagues last April that America must strike a delicate balance in dealing with this issue.

“We do not want terrorists to shut our nation’s doors to the people we want to visit,” he said. “At the same time, we must take intelligent measures to keep out the small fraction of people who mean us harm.”

Mr. Graves recognizes that his harder line might be regarded as strident, but he sees the caution as necessary and true to his constituents.

“I may have to go against people in my party. So be it,” the representative says. “That’s the way I feel about it, and I think that reflects my district.”

8 posted on 01/09/2003 4:52:22 PM PST by William Terrell
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To: Missouri
Now that Rep. Graves has spoken maybe that will take a little of the heat off Tancredo. I'm sure that he knows that his foes on this will not forego any method, fair or fowl, to spoil his good name.

I wish him well.

Regards and thanks for the post.

9 posted on 01/09/2003 4:54:54 PM PST by The Irishman
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Comment #10 Removed by Moderator

To: Missouri; StarFan; firebrand; healey22; Paulie
immigration reform ping!!
11 posted on 01/09/2003 5:01:54 PM PST by Dutchy
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To: Missouri
They need to cut immigration back to include only the immigrants who can be self-sufficient or who have someone sponsor them who can pay their complete costs. Many legal immigrants qualify immediately for SSI, food stamps, Medicaid, HUD etc because of a poorly designed sponsor program which doesn't guarantee the sponsor will actually provide for the financial care of their immigrant which they leave to the taxpayers. Family reunification is a very bad policy because it lets in some of the worst types and keeps out those with no relatives but who would work for their living.
12 posted on 01/09/2003 5:05:16 PM PST by FITZ
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To: Missouri
Graves won by about the same margin as Tancredo. At least we know there are two good men in Congress.
13 posted on 01/09/2003 5:06:08 PM PST by Reaganwuzthebest
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To: Missouri
We should all email Rep. Graves in a show of support, even if we are not from MO....maybe he will be less likely to bow down and apologize when the media and immigration activists start demanding an apology....
14 posted on 01/09/2003 5:06:38 PM PST by Morrigan
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To: Turbodog
What a novel idea, close down immigration until we get our policy set. Never happen! Makes too much sense; too prudent.

Cut back on immigration?? Isn't that some kind of racist thing?

15 posted on 01/09/2003 5:06:42 PM PST by Joe Hadenuf
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To: William Terrell
It easy and pun to post a whole article!


Yes, easy and PUN.
This was my second post here at FR so I'm on a learning curve.
Thanks for posting the whole article.
Maybe more Congressmen and women will start following guys like Tancredo and Graves something might get done.
Stregth in numbers.
16 posted on 01/09/2003 5:09:40 PM PST by Missouri
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To: William Terrell
“I may have to go against people in my party. So be it,” the representative says. “That’s the way I feel about it, and I think that reflects my district.”

Lets see, this guy is a Republican? So the entire Republican party is against doing anything about this never ending immigration flood?

17 posted on 01/09/2003 5:12:58 PM PST by Joe Hadenuf
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To: William Terrell
Stregth

My spelling isn't very good tonight either.
18 posted on 01/09/2003 5:13:14 PM PST by Missouri
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To: Missouri
If anyone lives in or near Sam's 6th district is welcome to have imput on this thread. All I know is he's at the other end of the state from me. His district includes the surburbs north of Kansas City and a lot of the northern corn belt. He won that district in 2002 by about a 2 to 1 margin.

Sam won his last election easily against a party hack democrat. He is one of the republicans elected in MO to take over the seat that was formerly a dem seat. All us federated republican women have worked very hard to keep him in office. He's originally from the Tarkio area.

19 posted on 01/09/2003 5:19:39 PM PST by Podkayne
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To: *immigrant_list; Tancredo Fan; Marine Inspector; Tailgunner Joe; ShuShu; eye for an eye; ...
Uh oh, he might have "blackened the White House door" ping
20 posted on 01/09/2003 5:27:30 PM PST by gubamyster
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