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    Legion to Congress: Reject amnesty

    Legion to Congress: Reject amnesty

    The American Legion - January 30, 2013
    20 97 389

    Posted in Citizenship

    (Photo by Gerald L. Nino)


    "A bad sequel" is how American Legion National Commander James E. Koutz described President Obama’s proposal to grant amnesty to people who are in the United States illegally.

    "Whether it’s called ‘Pathway to Citizenship’ or some other euphemism, it’s still amnesty," Koutz said. "It didn’t work when President Reagan signed the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, and it will be even more disastrous if we repeat that mistake again."
    Reagan’s attorney general, Ed Meese, has since repudiated the 1986 amnesty. "After a six-month slowdown that followed the passage of the legislation, illegal immigration returned to normal levels and continued unabated," Meese wrote in a 2006 New York Times op-ed. "Ultimately, some 2.7 million people were granted amnesty, and many who were not (granted amnesty) stayed anyway, forming the nucleus of today’s unauthorized population."
    The American Legion foresaw of the consequences back in 1986. "Amnesty can serve only to attract future illegal aliens who would also be provided the opportunity for permanent resident status," said Dale L. Renaud, American Legion national commander at the time.
    There is an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the country, and the Center for Immigration Studies estimated that the total net cost of the 1986 amnesty amounted to more than $78 billion in the 10 years following the amnesty.
    "As far as The American Legion is concerned, amnesty is a deal-breaker for us but there are some measures currently being proposed that we like," Koutz said. "These include tightening security at the borders, crackdowns on those who hire illegal workers and stricter visa procedures.
    "The American Legion is not opposed to immigration; we are a nation that was built by immigrants. But we also believe in adherence to the law. What kind of message does it send to those who worked hard to become legal immigrants if we offer the same status to those who disrespected the process? ‘American citizen’ is a special title that should not be bestowed upon people who broke the law to get it."
    Koutz believes thorough background screenings should be essential before the U.S. government allows any foreign national to enter U.S. territory. "Public safety and national security is job one for our government to address."
    Koutz said the Legion looks forward to sharing its views with Congress and the White House.
    "The consequences wrought by the Immigration Reform and Control Act bring to mind the words of George Santayana, ‘Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,’" Koutz said. "Let’s not make the same mistakes again."
    To read the Legion's most recent policy on immigration, passed during the 2012 National Convention, click here.



    Legion to Congress: Reject amnesty | The American Legion

  2. #2
    Super Moderator Newmexican's Avatar
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    Cheers for the American Legion.

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    Senior Member HAPPY2BME's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Newmexican View Post
    Cheers for the American Legion.
    -----------------------------------

    McCain, Rubio, Graham and company don't give a damn about what the American Legion or any other American says about amnesty.

    They should bar John McCain from membership for advocating the demise of the United States of America.
    Join our FIGHT AGAINST illegal immigration & to secure US borders by joining our E-mail Alerts at http://eepurl.com/cktGTn

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    Administrator ALIPAC's Avatar
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    Thank God for the American Legion!

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    Join our efforts to Secure America's Borders and End Illegal Immigration by Joining ALIPAC's E-Mail Alerts network (CLICK HERE)

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    I'm glad the American Legion is sticking with its long held position.

    So, we have the Legion, National Review, Heritage Foundation, and big-name pundits such as Michelle Malkin and Ann Coulter not buying into this amnesty hysteria.

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    Thank you for standing for the rule of law, American Legion!
    Support our FIGHT AGAINST illegal immigration & Amnesty by joining our E-mail Alerts at https://eepurl.com/cktGTn

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    Support our FIGHT AGAINST illegal immigration & Amnesty by joining our E-mail Alerts at https://eepurl.com/cktGTn

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    American Legion: Obama’s Immigration Plan a ‘Bad Sequel’ to 1986 Amnesty Law

    February 8, 2013
    By Patrick Burke
    cnsnews.com


    American Legion National Commander James E. Koutz. (AP)

    (CNSNews.com) -- American Legion National Commander James E. Koutz criticized President Barack Obama’s proposal for immigration reform, calling it a “bad sequel” to the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.

    “‘A bad sequel’ is how American Legion National Commander James E. Koutz described President Obama’s proposal to grant amnesty to people who are in the United States illegally,” according to an American Legion press release from Jan. 30.

    “Whether it’s called ‘Pathway to Citizenship’ or some other euphemism, it’s still amnesty,” said Koutz. “It didn’t work when President Reagan signed the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 and it will be even more disastrous if we repeat that mistake again.”

    Koutz added that those who came to the United States illegally should not receive the special title of “American citizen.”

    “What kind of message does it send to those who worked hard to become legal immigrants if we offer the same status to those who disrespected the process?” Koutz said. “‘American citizen’ is a special title that should not be bestowed upon people who broke the law to get it.”

    On Nov. 6, 1986, President Ronald Reagan signed into law the Immigration Reform and Control Act that granted amnesty to all those who unlawfully entered the United States prior to Jan. 1, 1982 and can demonstrate they resided in the United States since coming here illegally.

    Koutz also alludes to a May 2006 opinion piece written by Reagan Attorney General Ed Meese in the New York Times, in which Meese denounced the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.

    “There is a practical problem as well: the 1986 act did not solve our illegal immigration problem. From the start, there was widespread document fraud by applicants,” Meese wrote in 2006. “Unsurprisingly, the number of people applying for amnesty far exceeded projections. And there proved to be a failure of political will in enforcing new laws against employers.”

    President Obama released a plan for immigration reform on Jan. 29 that includes a “Pathway to Earned Citizenship.”

    Illegal immigrants who are presently in the United States will be required to register with the federal government, pass a background check and pay various fees and penalties before obtaining “provisional legal status.”

    Upon obtaining legal status, they will ultimately be able to apply for a green card and be eligible for U.S. citizenship.

    American Legion: Obama
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    Senior Member vistalad's Avatar
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    A couple of years ago, I wrote to the Legion's leadership and also to the leadership of the (women's) Auxiliary. (There are approximately 10,000 Auxiliary units nationwide, BTW. )

    Is there some way that we could send a collective Thank You to the Legion?
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    Americans first in this magnificent country

    American jobs for American workers

    Fair trade, not free trade

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