Thread: Goodlatte On Immigration: Enforce Existing Laws

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DAILY-NEWS RECORD ONLINE



Goodlatte On Immigration: Enforce Existing Laws Posted 2006-06-03

By Dan Wright





America is a nation of immigrants, but it is also a nation of laws, U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-6th, told a business group on Friday.

He called immigration — an issue that the federal government has been grappling with lately — an enormous problem with no easy solution.

Goodlatte, the guest speaker at a First Fridays luncheon at the Harrisonburg Elks Club on Friday, said he hopes the House of Representatives will stand firm against a recently passed Senate bill.

"Its basic premise, that we turn illegal immigrants into legal immigrants without going through the legal process, is not acceptable to the American people," said Goodlatte, whose district includes Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. "And whether we can get the Senate around to what I think is right, I don’t know."

Goodlatte has some expertise on immigration. He serves on the immigration subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee. And as an attorney before taking office, about 50 percent of his practice focused on immigration law.

"Step up enforcement of the law first," Goodlatte said. "What we did in the 1980s, giving amnesty to millions of people, did not work."

That move also sent a message to immigrants that if the U.S. did it once, it would do it again, he added.

Open Border Policy

The federal government estimates that between 12 million and 20 million people are in the U.S. illegally.

The Bush administration puts the figure at 11 million.

If the Senate’s immigration bill becomes law, it would not only grant amnesty to about 10 million illegal immigrants, but would increase the rate of legal immigration five-fold, according to a study by the conservative Heritage Foundation.

That would allow 103 million people to legally immigrate to the U.S. over the next 20 years, while existing law would hold that number to 19 million.

The "open-border" provision of the bill would be the most dramatic change in immigration law in 80 years, the report said.

Goodlatte said he hoped the House would stand firm against the Senate proposal.

"We want to make sure that the needs of employers are met and that our borders are secure," he said. "But the idea that you can become a citizen without doing what you have to do is a non-starter."

One member of Goodlatte’s audience Friday compared the flood of immigrants to an invasion.

"One of the main responsibilities of government is to defend our borders," said Hugh Mulligan, of Luray. "The borders are not being defended."

Mulligan, a former vice chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia, agreed with Goodlatte on enforcing existing law and holding employers accountable.

"Part of the problem is business feels it has to use cheap labor in order to make a profit," Mulligan said. "They’re putting the monkey on the taxpayers back."

Low-Wage Workers Wanted

Another audience member said immigrant workers serve an economic function.

Robert W. Strickler, of the family that owned Rocco Inc., said more than a third of the Valley’s agribusiness employees are immigrants who work for low wages and help keep food prices low.

Strickler said he heard little at Friday’s luncheon that he considered "workable." But he added that the discussion was valuable.

"We need to have more open debate about the issue," Strickler said. "They run the process so quickly in Washington that they are very likely to make a mistake or two."

Goodlatte said the "law of the land" has not been enforced by current or past administrations.

Every level of law enforcement should participate in immigration law enforcement, he added.

"Now, local law enforcement cannot detain someone that is just here illegally," Goodlatte said. "That person has to have committed a separate crime before being arrested on an immigration violation."

Two Immigration Bills Before Congress

Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006 (passed by Senate 5/25/06)

Offers a path to legalization for illegal immigrants
Creates a guest worker program for unskilled workers
Impose a new system of employer enforcement
Strengthen border security
Border Protection, Antiterrorism and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005 (passed by House 12/16/05)

Offers no new avenues for legal immigration
Aims to toughen border with Mexico, including a 700-mile wall
Impose a new system of employer enforcement
Contact Dan Wright at 574-6293 or dwright@dnronline.com










© 2005 Daily News-Record

He called immigration — an issue that the federal government has been grappling with lately — an enormous problem with no easy solution.

I would have to disagree, the solutions are very easy. Deport illegals found, heavily penalize employers, and cut off all social programs to illegals, most important CLOSE THE BORDER!!!!! Seems easy enough to me Why oh why does the government have to make everything so gosh darn complicated. This is really just common sense stuff. They got this country into this mess, now people are finally waking up to the problem they created, and it is time for them to clean it up...NOW.

We need to have more open debate about the issue," Strickler said. "They run the process so quickly in Washington that they are very likely to make a mistake or two."

Oh think we can all agree they are making more than a mistake or two.