Thread: Should they stay or should the go?!?! FOCUS Campaign

I have emailed all in colorado and called, again. No more commitments slippery folks aren't they?

MISSISSIPPI

US House 2
Yvonne R. Brown (R)
according to the law they are illegal... I have no problem with at the point of entry they are captured they should be sent back....
( asked what we should do with those that are already here? ...will post response.)

Campaign EMail Address:
brown8603@bellsouth.net
Campaign Web Address:
http://www.friendsofyvonnerbro ...

ADDED: 11/3/2006

US House 1
Roger F. Wicker (R)

Congressman Wicker believes that there are serious problems with the US immigration policies and the increasingly large number of illegal aliens residing in this country. Mr. Wicker does not support rewarding those who have violated our laws and successfully avoided detection. He is opposed to granting amnesty or legal permanent resident status to illegal aliens. The House of Representatives recently passed legislation with Mr. Wicker's support that extends the amount of time non-deportable, criminal aliens can be held in jail, increases the number of attorneys dedicated to prosecting immigration cases, closes loopholes that allow some aliens to be released after they are caught instead of deporting them, and reaffirms the authority of state and local law enforcement to enforce current immigration laws.

While this answer is not the one word response you requested, I can say that Mr. Wicker does believe in enforcement of the current laws (and aiding their enforcement) and is no way supports illegal immigration.

Sincerely,
Michelle

NEW YORK

HOUSE 11 - S. Finger (R) STAY

I believe that we should establish a comprehensive and humane guest worker program while, at the same time, assuring a secure border.

As to the illegals who are here now, I believe that at the present time we should do nothing, as difficult as that always seems. There are several reasons for this approach.

First of all, I do not think it possible to deport 11 million people.
And secondly, I think the whole dynamics of their situation will change if we establish a guest worker program. Many of the illegals bring their families because, once they're here, they can't leave to see them. If we had a guest worker program and each worker could come and go as he pleased, there would be less incentive to bring the whole family.

Furthermore, why would anyone want to live here illegally if he could come here and live as a legal? No worrying about being arrested, deported. Able to ask a higher wage because he's no longer a criminal, etc.

And, I'm not in favor of a wall. America? with a wall? Not the image I'd like to send out to the world. I much prefer the Statue of Liberty and "give me your tired, your poor...." I'll take the "lamp beside the golden door" over a wall anytime. And I don't believe in deputizing employers to enforce immigration laws.



HOUSE 29 - Eric Massa (D) Sounds like a STAY (see bottom)

Thank you for your question. I'm copying Eric's position on immigration (from http://www.massaforcongress.com/issuede ... ntentid=93) at the bottom of this email. Please get back to us and let us know if this helps.

Maria Wells

-Immigrant- is part of who we are as Americans, a melting pot from the beginning. People have come here to escape persecution - religious, racial, political; to live in a place that is open and inclusive; to have a shot at the American dream. My own Italian grandparents came here through Ellis Island. But clearly, today we face a new problem: a growing wave of illegal immigration. It's a serious problem, for one thing because it is a national security concern. It's also a complicated economic problem.

The biggest problem, though, is that the Bush administration and Congress have only just now recognized it, and suddenly immigration is on everyone's agenda. After years of looking the other way as illegal immigration exploded, this Administration is manufacturing yet another crisis to divert attention from its multitude of failures, particularly in Iraq. And their -solutions- won't even begin to solve a problem that has been building for years and which has become institutionalized at multiple levels in our society, especially the economy.

This is a problem government can solve, but not through hastily crafted and draconian legislation. We need leaders of integrity and principle, leaders more interested in developing solutions than in arguing about the problem for political gain. Here's a summary of what I see as the important points about this -crisis.-

The Bush Double Flip. Back in 2005, President Bush promised to add 10,000 extra border patrol agents (2,000 per year). Naturally, these agents would be the extension of our current border patrol efforts. And then he never followed through. Instead, when no one was looking, he and the rubber-stamp Congress cut the funding for these agents from the budget, to save money. Now they're calling for the National Guard to solve the problem. Before loading up the over-extended National Guard with another impossible task, Congress and the Administration should follow through on their original promises.

Secure the Borders. Our first priority must be to secure our borders. In a post-9/11 world, we simply must have control over who comes and goes. But we can do it smart. Security must go hand-in-hand with a sane approach to the complex political and economic ramifications of the demand for immigrant labor, and the understandable desire of immigrants for the opportunity for a better life.

It's all about Economics. The real drivers of this -crisis- are fundamental, structural issues of economics, and any solution that doesn't address the economics won't work. We must engage our trading partners to the south in honest discussions about their practices of exporting their unemployment into our country. We must also admit that workers enter this country illegally because there is a demand for their services: cheap labor, no benefits. And it's not just businesses and corporations that like it this way. I don't hear many calls from the anti-immigrant crowd for boycotts of goods that we get more cheaply because they're produced with illegal labor - including fruits and vegetables, or cheaper houses and buildings.

The X Factor. Experts have estimated the number of illegal immigrant currently residing in the U.S. is between 15-20 million. And in the debate about what to do with them, amnesty has become the dirty buzzword. This is not a choice between amnesty and deportation. We must develop a multi-faceted and humane approach to dealing with the illegal immigrants living here and working here. For some that will mean work visas, for others, earned citizenship, and for a few, deportation, but no one should be rewarded for breaking the law.


House 11 - Yvette Clarke (D) STAY

I strongly oppose the irrational and racist Sensenbrenner Bill, and I am fighting for a humane immigration policy that does not criminalize those who seek to participate in our society and become Americans, as generations of immigrants have throughout our nation’s history. Legislation currently being considered that will drive the undocumented further underground by increasing the threat of arrest and deportation also threatens our national security, our public health, and the fabric of our communities.

One more - I have asked for some additional clarification and will post once I get it.



NEW YORK

HOUSE 17 - Jim Faulkner (R)
Thanks for your interest and your inquiry.

I'm sending a position piece on immigration for your edification. I would welcome your comments.

Again, thanks!

Jim Faulkner
Republican Candidate for
17th Congressional District
www.jimfaulkner.org
jim@jimfaulkner.org
914 426-4944


CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE FAULKNER SPEAKS OUT ON IMMIGRATION & NATIONAL SECURITY
By: JIM FAULKNER

Over the last decade we have had a huge influx of illegal immigrants. The events of 9/11 and the subsequent terrorists attacks throughout the world have focused our attention on this situation because of its national security implications.

We must control our borders. To freely allow people to cross our borders unchecked is to invite our enemies to attack us at home. This, then, is our first priority. We must seal our borders. We should have learned this when the 9/11 terrorists walked into our country from Canada.

Unfortunately, this involves an enormous but necessary expense. To secure our borders will, at a minimum, require fencing and remotely controlled and monitored camera systems as well as sufficient Border patrol personnel with the ability to move swiftly to areas with suspicious activity.

After the borders are sealed, we need to deal with the situation at hand. There are several reasons for the current situation.

Many people believe that the reason that we have had a huge influx of illegal immigrants from Mexico is that Mexican unemployment is extremely high. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, for the last nine years unemployment in Mexico has ranged from 1.9% to about 4.2% with the average unemployment rate at about 3%. The present unemployment rate in Mexico is below 4% while that of the United States is 4.6%.

Why then do so many illegally enter our country? The simple truth is that they can earn more here than in Mexico, where the economy could hardly be described as robust. If they were to be removed from our economy, we would not have enough legal residents to fill the jobs which would be vacated.

Our immigration system needs to be overhauled. This must be done in a manner which is fair to both our citizens and those who have abided by our current laws.

My opponent, Eliot Engel, doesn’t understand this. In fact, he doesn’t seem to get the problem at all. On Channel 12’s Newsmakers in May he said that the House immigration bill was a “horrible bill” and that the Senate Bill (Kennedy-McCain) was “only slightly better”. This was less than two months after telling an Irish group in Woodlawn that he was a strong supporter of Kennedy-McCain. This last weekend on Newsmakers he appeared with me and called me a liar for pointing this out. He denied his May statement.

The amazing thing is that while Engel criticizes the existing legislation he has no plan of his own. As our representative he has sponsored no legislation to deal with the situation. I guess that shouldn’t surprise us as he has sponsored few if any bills of significance in his 18 years in Congress.

On Newsmakers recently he finally agreed with me that the borders should be sealed (although he voted against a bill to do so). He also said that we must find a way for these illegal immigrants to work their way to citizenship.

I sharply disagree. We have a system of laws which we are required to obey. Those who enter our country by sneaking across our borders or overstaying these visas have violated our laws, whether they are here as agents of terrorists groups or to seek work. Why should someone who has entered our country illegally have a prior right to citizenship over those who have been waiting on lists for years to legally emigrate to the United States? Why should we reward their illegal entry?

And yet, the fact remains that they are here and that it is impractical to ship them all home. We do not have the capability to ship them wholesale to their countries of origin. At the same time, removing them immediately would result in an immediate shortfall of employees for businesses in this country, predominantly in the service sector.

So what should we do? First, seal the borders. Next, we need to establish a guest worker program which would allow guest workers to enter our country for a limited time period when our unemployment level reaches a predetermined “trigger” point.

When the framework of that program has been established, those illegal immigrants who are here and have been here since a target date set by the legislation should be given the opportunity to enroll in the program within 90 days. They would then be permitted to remain for a period of time. At the end of that time they would return to their country of origin and could again apply for a guest worker permit. Expiration dates on permits should be staggered so that there would be an orderly flow. Those who do not register should, when found, be imprisoned for a period of time and then deported with no option of returning. Those who do stay must establish that they have paid taxes covering the entire time that they have been in this country.

For these purposes and for National Security purposes we should have a National I.D. card, a card employing biometrics, which could serve to identify voters, persons legally within our borders, those entitled to work, et cetera. It would contain all pertinent information, including place of residence. Those who move without updating their residence would be subject to immediate deportation. This could be the only piece of I.D. required for most purposes.

Such a card, when presented to a police officer or government agent, would have the capability of immediately identifying the person presenting it, both visually and through a biometrics check. It would enable us to weed out those who should not be here and to react accordingly.

This program would address those who are currently illegally in this country, ensure that taxes are paid by all who are here, protect the rights of those who have legally applied and are waiting for their chance to legally emigrate to the United States and give us better tools to find and deal with those who would enter our country as terrorists.

We need a new immigration and guest worker policy. Vote me into Congress and I will work to revise this situation in Washington. Reelect Engel and get two more years of platitudes with no solutions.

Jim Faulkner - A New Voice for a New Congress

The 17th C.D. includes the North Bronx, Riverdale, all of Mount Vernon, South Yonkers, West Yonkers, parts of Hastings-on-Hudson, Dobbs Ferry, Irvington, Tarrytown and the Southern half of Rockland County.
Jim Faulkner lives on Warburton Avenue in Yonkers. More information is available online at www.jimfaulkner.org.

Jim Faulkner, the Republican, Independence and Conservative candidate for Congress in the 17th C.D. can be reached by the following methods:
Website - www.jimfaulkner.org
e-mail jim@jimfaulkner.org
Mail: Friends of Jim Faulkner
316 Warburton Ave.
Yonkers NY 10701
Campaign phone 914 426-4944




Also from web site:
ILLEGAL ALIENS

We must take control of our borders immediately and the federal government must reimburse state and local governments for the services that its failure to control our borders has placed upon them! To say that illegal entry into America is a human right is to pander. The ultimate human right is to provide opportunity for all our citizens. Illegal aliens threaten human rights. They put a burden on the social fabric of every community and unfairly force local governments to pay for the services that they require. It is a disservice to our parents and grandparents to equate illegal aliens with legal immigrants. America is a land of immigrants. We are renewed by the differences immigrants bring to our shores but we are depleted when we allow people to illegally penetrate our borders! Surrendering control of our borders is not a human rights issue.

I will take the following:

ND
NE
NJ
NM
NV

The vast majority of the NY House crowd is not responding to multiple written inquiries about illegal immigration. With the exception of a relative few, most incumbents have voting grades of D or F, so for now I'm concentrating on the challengers. If anyone is in NY and wants to makes some calls, let me know.

I've been able to get some fairly clear ideas of position on illegal immigration from some campaign web sites as follows:


NEW YORK

HOUSE 13 - Stephen Harrison (D) STAY

(From web site)
On the issue of immigration, Steve Harrison supports developing a path to citizenship for the estimated 15 million illegal workers already contributing to the economy. He is also calling for better border security. "On a practical level, we will never send back the fifteen million illegal workers who are already here, working and contributing to our economy,” says Harrison. "The most humane, fiscally sound and all-around best solution is to assimilate them into the family of America through some path to citizenship and to get serious about border security now.”



HOUSE 23 - Robert Johnson (D) STAY?? (note his reference to the SPP!)

(From web site)
Immigration

The hallmark of competent legislation is that it must be workable and fair. Immigration policy reform is just such an issue that pits competence against unworkable ideology. Making 11,000,000 illegal immigrants felons, as my opponent wants to do, and locking them up is unworkable and expensive and pandering irrational grandstanding. Likewise, a wall is un-American, unworkable and not the answer. We must find a compromise that is practical and fair.

Immigration is a three part question. Security, legality and enforcement. There can be no compromise on security. We must control our borders. If coyote smugglers can cross than so can Al Qaeda. We must incorporate the latest technology along with increased patrols along the borders. The New York State drivers’ license is as difficult to get as a passport and is and should be acceptable identification at the Canadian border. We must work with Canada through the Security and Prosperity Partnership Protocols of 2005 to have Canadian drivers licenses as secure. Security starts first by guarding the gates.

Immigrant workers are exploited by employers and form an underground labor market that competes unfairly against American workers with illegally low wages for which taxes are not even withheld. By legalizing immigrant workers, American workers benefit. Legalized workers can join and form Unions and employers will have to pay them prevailing wage. Employers who continue to pay illegal and use exploitative business practices need to be held accountable.

We cannot grant amnesty to illegal immigrants already here. We can have them earn their way into America, punish their lawbreaking, legalize them and level the playing field for all workers. We can make it a long six year road to legality by levying fines of up to $2000 per person and paying back taxes. Not only do these penalties punish the illegal but can raise $22 billion to pay for enforcement and border control.

We can not make the same mistake as Reagan did in 1986 by failing to enforce the border or the workplace, which meant that even as amnesty was given to millions, millions more came. This is the last chance for illegals to get on the right side of the law and the last chance for employers to stop using and abusing illegals at the expense of American workers. Those that don’t follow the law are deported without right of return.


HOUSE 26 - Jack Davis (D) ??? (I think an anti-illegal immigration Democrat!)

Though his web site does not have a detailed plan for addressing illegal immigration, there are signs that he considers this a very serious problem.

He has the following "Immigration News" section on his site:

Our southern borders are being invaded by up to 20,000 illegal aliens daily. This adds to the army of 20 million illegals already here. How many of these illegals are terrorists? No one in Washington knows or do they seem to care.

Articles on web site:
James H. Reza - Asleep at the Wheel

Professor Predicts "Hispanic Homeland"

Tancredo Foresees Immigration Battle Border Skirmishes

Devvy Kidd - News With Views: Illegals Invading America: Something You Can Do

Thomas Dawson - American Chronicle: Illegal Aliens and Immigration

Missoulian: Securing the Border Isn't Optional

John Bachman - Nashua Telegraph: When Pointing Fingers About Illegal Immigration, Know Who to Point At

East Valley Tribune, Arizona: Extremists Must Not Be Allowed to Hijack Immigration Proposal

Daneen G. Peterson - MichNews.com: Are we a 'Nation of Immigrants' as Claimed by the Pro-Illegal Alien Crowd?

Frosty Wooldridge - Phoenix News: Bush Leading Immigration's Benedict Arnold Brigade

Frank J. Gaffney Jr. - The Washington Times: Amnesty by Any Other Name

Robert Klein Engler - American Daily: Mexido is to Blame for Illegal Immigration to the U.S.

Danny Hanemann - The Daily News: The American Economy is Going South

P. Allen - Magic City Morning Star: Dear President Bush, About your Immigration Plan

Joseph Perkins - The Decatur Daily Democrat: Taxpayers Shouldn't Support Illegal Immigrants


This is my platform on National and International issues:

1. I promise to support, defend and serve The People of the 26th District and the country.
2. Getting re-elected will not be my priority, doing what is best for America will be.
3. I will fight to save jobs, farms, and industries.
4. I will fight to cancel all free trade agreements and promote balanced trade.
5. I am for a strong national defense and I support the troops in Iraq. We should start bringing the troops home, but we should not set a date for complete withdrawal.
6. I will not raise income taxes.
7. I will spend your tax dollars as if they were my own.
8. I will balance the federal budget by putting Americans back to work and cutting pork.
9. No amnesty for illegal aliens and seal the borders.
10. I will take the lead in reducing the cost of health care and prescription medicines.
11. I will work to reduce the high costs of energy.
12. I support elimination of the Death Tax.

I'm going to call tomorrow to clarify his position.

NEW YORK

HOUSE 27 - Michael McHale (R)

From web site:
IMMIGRATION

The first duty of any government is to defend and protect itself and its citizens. Inherent in this proposition is that a nation should be able to control its borders. Over the last thirty years the United States has failed to protect, defend, or control our southern frontier.

There are now over twelve million illegal aliens in our country. These criminals take jobs away from our lower income workers, bleed our social service providers, and commit violent felonies with much greater frequently than U.S. citizens.

A nation that cannot enforce its own laws and protect its borders will ultimately collapse. I strongly support doubling the number of Immigration Officers patrolling the Mexican border. I also support the construction of a security wall along the entire Mexican frontier.

The fight against illegal immigration does not end at the border, however. We must remove the incentive for them to break our laws and enter the United States in the first place. To that end, I would propose legislation making it a crime to knowingly employ any illegal aliens. It is only fair that those who compound the immigration problem by hiring illegals (instead of Americans) should also be held accountable for breaking the law.

This two pronged, comprehensive strategy will enable us to secure our borders and do justice to those proud immigrants who have played by the rules and become U.S. citizens in a proper and legal fashion.

NEW JERSEY

US House 2
Frank A. LoBiondo (R)

( I tried to email but does not have email contact. Can someone please call? )
Contact Information:

The Honorable Frank A. LoBiondo
225 Cannon
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-6572

Washington DC Web Address:
http://www.house.gov/lobiondo/
Washington DC Web Mail Address:
http://www.house.gov/lobiondo/ ...
Washington DC Web Mail Address:
http://www.house.gov/writerep/
Campaign Web Address:
http://www.lobiondo.com/

US House 13
John J. Guarini (R)

This is the only contact information I can find...Campaign Address
Post Office Box 13217
Jersey City, NJ 07303
Phone:
Fax:

ADDED: 10/27/2006

US House 9
Vincent Micco (R)

They should go.

Vince Micco

This is from his website:
http://www.votevince.com/html/issues.html
Immigration
America needs a sound, long-term immigration policy — one that benefits our economy, protects American workers and upholds our country’s values. I am the son of immigrants and I appreciate the contribution immigrants have made to America. But it makes no sense to reward 11 million illegal immigrants with amnesty. Nor does it bolster our nation to reward those who sneak in to our country illegally with privileges such as driver’s licenses,medical benefits and college education funding — all paid for by taxpayers. To reward illegal aliens now will invite more in the future. The United States must have an immigration policy that first and foremost provides real border security — not just on paper — but real border security measures fully funded by Congress.We must punish those who exploit illegal alien labor — and we must offer a path to citizenship to those who deserve it and truly want to be Americans.


US House 11 STAY
Tom Wyka (D)

There is no way we can round up so many people and deport them. so the short answer is stay.

US House 12
Rush D. Holt Jr. (D) STAY
Thank you for your inquiry. Rep. Holt does not believe that it is economically, socially, or logistically possible to round up and deport 10 million undocumented immigrants. Rep. Holt believes that there should be a broad reform of our system of legal immigration, including a path to earned citizenship.
Best regards,
Matt Dennis

Wyoming

Gary Trauner At Large - Soft Go
It would be ideal if the issue of illegal immigration were as clear and easy as this, however, unfortunately, it is not. It is incredibly sad to me that if we HAD been enforcing the laws on the books for the past ten years, we wouldn’t be in the situation we are today. So at the outset I can tell you that if Gary is elected to Congress, he has the integrity to enforce all the laws that he will swear to uphold and defend—the most pressing of those is CRACKING DOWN ON EMPLOYERS WHO HIRE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, and secondly ENSURING THAT OUR BORDER IS SECURE — just doing these two things, especially the first, will save the American taxpayer the cost of catching and deporting illegal immigrants. (If there is no work for them, then there is no reason to stay.) Additionally, did you know that there are more cops in Los Angeles than there are border patrol agents for the ENTIRE USA, and that is because we are not funding the laws we pass. So simply put: any law on the books that Congress passes, but the REFUSES to fund is just more of the same politics as usual, and that’s a practice Gary will put to an end. If you agree with me and think it is time for a change, I hope you will vote for Gary Trauner this year.

Sincerely,

Adam Ruff