Boozman takes hard-line stance on illegal immigration
Sunday, Jun 11, 2006

By Alison Vekshin
Stephens Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON -- Rep. John Boozman, R-Rogers, is taking a hard line on illegal immigrants, citing strong beliefs among voters in Northwest Arkansas that the best way to manage immigration is to fortify the country's borders while blocking undocumented workers from becoming U.S. citizens.

Boozman said he received an unprecedented 2,500 letters from constituents regarding immigration, more mail than he has gotten on gay marriage, soaring gas prices and the war in Iraq.

"You have to earn the American dream, you can't steal it," Boozman said in a recent interview. "That kind of summarizes (the view of) the average person in the 3rd District.

"People are upset about turning on the news every night and, night after night, seeing a story that shows illegal immigrants going over a fence," Boozman said.

"The feeling that this whole situation is just broken down, that there is no enforcement of the law is really frustrating to the average American," he said.

Congress has weighed in, passing competing versions of an immigration reform bill that is now in the hands of Senate-House negotiators.

Boozman backed the version the House passed in December, which reflects a hard-line approach focusing strictly on border security and removal of illegal immigrants.

The bill calls for building 700 miles of fence along the U.S.-Mexico border, making it a felony to be in the United States illegally, urging local police to assist with catching illegal immigrants and toughening penalties for employers who hire illegal immigrants.

The House rejected a proposal championed by President Bush that would create a guest-worker program allowing foreign nationals to work in the United States on a temporary basis.

The Senate version passed in May includes that proposal, along with a set of steps for undocumented workers to become U.S. citizens over time. It also calls for more detention facilities, more Border Patrol agents and for English to be the country's national language.

Boozman said he opposes the Senate version because it grants "amnesty" to illegal immigrants.

"It's unfair in the sense that you are rewarding people who have acted inappropriately," he said. "It's unfair to reward behavior that is unwanted, that's going to create another wave of illegal immigrants coming here."

Boozman said the guest-worker program is the sticking point between the two bills and would have to be resolved during negotiations if Congress is to pass a bill by the end of the year.

He said he could get behind a guest-worker program once stricter border measures are put in place and as long as it does not lead to citizenship for participants.

"As a nation, we need to sit down and decide what is best for us as far as the number of immigrants we can absorb as far as citizenship," Boozman said.

A factor to consider, Boozman said, is the financial strain illegal immigrants are placing on the nation's social services, including emergency room treatment. He said that would not change if these workers become citizens.

Boozman's district is home to 40 percent, or 90,000 to 100,000, of the state's estimated 250,000 Hispanic immigrants, according to Robert Travino, Hispanic affairs policy adviser to Gov. Mike Huckabee.

Boozman said he did not think his position would alienate Hispanic voters living in his district.

Ada Aguilar, a member of Arkansas Coalition for a Better Future, a group that has promoted immigrant rights, said undocumented workers, who tend to occupy less desirable jobs, should have a pathway to citizenship.

"If they don't give them that opportunity, they are going to stay here anyway," said Aguilar, a realtor from Rogers. "There is no way the government can send 11 million people out of this country."

Aguilar said she sensed "a little bit of antagonism" toward immigrants from residents in Northwest Arkansas.

"The people that have lived in this state are not used to other cultures," she said. "People here need to have an open mind. This country is changing and they have to go with the change."

But Joe McCutchen, who has taken part in The Minuteman Project along the Arizona-Mexico border, said the country lacks the resources to contend with the flow of illegal immigrants.

"We have laws in place that demand that our border be protected," said McCutchen, a drugstore owner from Fort Smith.

"We've got to seal our borders, period," he said. "Then we determine what we're going to do with the illegals here."

McCutchen said he supported the House bill, and called the Senate version "a direct attack on the Constitution."

"We're being overrun with people who are uneducated, poverty-ridden and disease-ridden," he said. "We have to protect our population."

Among the other provisions in the House bill, Boozman said he supported increased penalties for employers who hire illegal workers, saying they should be held accountable.

He said that local business like Tyson Foods Inc. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. are not resisting that proposal, but would like to see a guest-worker program in place to widen their workforce pool.

"It's a problem because unemployment is so low in our area," he said.

Boozman said he supported making English the country's official language, a provision in the Senate bill.

"That's a tie that binds us together," he said. "The reality is to make it in America you've got to speak English."