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McKeon says enforce immigration laws first
This story appeared in the Antelope Valley Press on Sunday, October 16, 2005.
By LISA WAHLA HOWARD
Valley Press Staff Writer



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Congressman Howard P. "Buck" McKeon has joined more than 80 Republican members of the House in sending a message to President George W. Bush: They oppose guest-worker programs until current immigration laws are enforced.
"History has shown that enforcement provisions are ignored and underfunded, and guest-worker and amnesty provisions are always implemented," said the letter, addressed to Bush and dated Oct. 7.

Bush has advocated a guest-worker program, but the concept has not gained traction in Congress, where the subject of immigration has opened a rift in GOP solidarity.

Some, like Bush, believe immigrant labor is necessary, and legal means of utilizing such labor must be expanded; others call for strict enforcement of existing laws and a thorough crackdown on illegal immigration.

The letter was written by leaders in the anti-illegal immigration movement: Congressmen John Hostettler, R-Ind.; Tom Tancredo, R-Colo.; and Lamar Smith, R-Texas; and signed by 80 other members.

Among the signors were eight Californians: McKeon, R-Santa Clarita; Dana Rohrabacher, R-Huntington Beach; Edward Royce, R-Fullerton; Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine; Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-San Diego; Gary Miller, R-Brea; Darrell Issa, R-Vista; and Ken Calvert, R-Corona.

The letter states that enforcement provisions - such as employer sanctions - included in a 1986 law that granted amnesty to farm workers and other illegal aliens have not been carried out.

In addition, an entry-exit tracking system for all aliens mandated by a 1996 law is "still not near completion," the letter states.

"Today an estimated 12 (million) to 20 million illegal aliens are in the United States," the letter continues. "They know that if they successfully enter the country and find a job, they will likely be able to stay for the rest of their lives because the government has shown little interest in enforcing its own laws.

"Employers also know that once they hire an illegal alien, it is unlikely that they will ever be investigated or prosecuted for doing so. Enforcement of the laws against illegal immigration and employing illegal aliens is necessary."

The exit-entry program referred to in the letter is called the U.S. VISIT program (Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology), which was developed further after 9-11 through the Homeland Security Act of 2002.

When fully implemented, visitors to the United States will be digitally photographed and have digital scans taken of their index fingers at all ports of entry. That information can be matched against U.S. terrorist-watch lists and checked later to ensure the non-citizen leaves the country within the requirements of his or her visa.

On the entry side, the program is being phased in at U.S. ports of entry, including 115 airports and seaports and selected land entry ports. A timetable for phasing in the tracking of foreign citizens' exits from the United States has not been established, said a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security.

As for work-site enforcement, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said the department focuses on sites critical to homeland security, such as airports, seaports, nuclear plants, chemical plants and defense facilities.

McKeon, whose 25th Congressional District includes much of the Antelope Valley, could not be reached for comment for this story, but spoke with the Valley Press about immigration in July.

When asked about the limited amount of work-site enforcement, McKeon said, "There are so many things that we could say, Why don't we do that?

"Even more basic is, what if you have guys standing in Santa Clarita along San Fernando Road, waiting for someone to pick them up and hire them? The sheriff drives by and they can't even ask for their ID to see if they're here legally or not.

"We really need to wake up on this," McKeon said. "They say if the people will lead, the leaders will follow, and I think the people are really leading hard on this issue, and we need to wake up and get with them, now."

Congressman Bill Thomas, R-Bakersfield, who represents part of the Antelope Valley, did not sign the immigration letter because he was not asked to, said a spokesman.

"Congressman Thomas does believe that the federal government has an obligation to secure our borders and must do so more effectively, particularly since Sept. 11, 2001, which is why he has repeatedly voted for legislation boosting border security funding and personnel," said Thomas spokesman Vince Fong.