Thread: IL:14th Congressional District opponents spar on immig

14th Congressional District opponents spar on immigration
Foster seeks guest worker tax that Oberweis says encourages illegal hiring
By James Kimberly | Tribune reporter
February 23, 2008

Democratic congressional candidate Bill Foster proposed an "impact fee" for companies that hire people who enter the U.S. illegally and then become guest workers - - an idea Republican foe Jim Oberweis blasted as a tax to allow businesses to break the law.

The exchange occurred Friday during the candidates' first joint appearance before the March 8 special election to determine who will succeed former House Speaker Dennis Hastert in the far-west suburban 14th Congressional District. Each candidate won a special primary contest Feb. 5.

When asked what should be done with illegal immigrants in the country, Foster said if they are allowed to become legal guest workers, then employers who hire them ought to pay an impact fee "that represents the true burden that these workers place on our schools, on our police, on our health-care system."

"I think with appropriate impact fees for employers that hire from a guest worker program ... you can make whole the real load they place on us," Foster said during a taping of WBBM-AM 780's "At Issue."

Oberweis, who has made a hard-line immigration stance part of previous campaigns, pounced on Foster's position.

"It sounds like he wants to create a system for employers to hire illegal immigrants. That's not what we need in this country. That's going to cause the problem to become even worse," Oberweis, an investment manager and dairy magnate from Sugar Grove, said after the debate.

Foster, a businessman and former Fermilab physicist from Geneva, left without taking reporters' questions.

The two candidates both oppose an amnesty program and both have suggested the government issue tamper-proof, biometric identification cards to legal immigrants to make it easier to track their movements.

On Iraq, Foster advocates a safe, immediate withdrawal of American troops. Oberweis said troop deployment decisions ought to be left up to military commanders.

On health care, Foster said there should be a universal program that could include a larger role for the federal government and a role for private enterprise. Oberweis said employer-provided health insurance should be eliminated in favor of a system where consumers use tax incentives to purchase their own insurance and have health savings accounts.

The full debate can be heard at 9:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. Sunday on WBBM.

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jkimberly@tribune.com
http://www.chicagotribune.com:80/news/l ... 9206.story

When asked what should be done with illegal immigrants in the country, Foster said if they are allowed to become legal guest workers, then employers who hire them ought to pay an impact fee "that represents the true burden that these workers place on our schools, on our police, on our health-care system."

IT SOUNDS LIKE AMNESTY TO ME!

Originally Posted by butterbean

When asked what should be done with illegal immigrants in the country, Foster said if they are allowed to become legal guest workers, then employers who hire them ought to pay an impact fee "that represents the true burden that these workers place on our schools, on our police, on our health-care system."

IT SOUNDS LIKE AMNESTY TO ME!

The truth is...there is nothing more permanent than a temporary (guest) worker.