Thread: A message from Congressman Tierney

A response from my congressman

June 5, 2006


Dear :

Thank you for your recent comments regarding the issue of
immigration. I am pleased to respond.

I agree with the implications of your communication that it would be
disingenuous to assert that this is an easy matter toward which simple
solutions could apply. There is general agreement with a number of
principles: borders must be controlled and secure, control has to be
exercised over the "visa overstay" issue, we must determine just what
amount of legal immigration would benefit this country, and
employers must be held responsible when they break the law in their
hiring and employment practices. The biggest hurdle, of course, is
determining how to address the estimated 10-13 million
undocumented immigrants now in the states.

I believe employers must be held accountable in hiring, and fairness
dictates that there be a reliable means for the identification of lawfully
admitted and hirable immigrants. The large national business
associations' and others' resistance to serious enforcement of
employer-accountability provisions is misguided. Unfortunately,
current cases against employers under this administration have
dropped to an all-time low.

I believe we must recalculate the number of immigrants to be allowed
lawfully into the United States in any given year, especially if, as
proposed in the Senate version, concessions are eventually made for
any families currently here (even if such individuals cannot move
ahead of other pending applicants worldwide, and must pay penalties,
show work histories, a clean criminal history, payment of taxes and
other preconditions for consideration), and that a system must be in
place to ensure such limits are obeyed. Our national limits on legal
immigration must be re-adjusted and re-calculated to acknowledge the
impact any new law might have, and to meet our international
obligations to give safe harbor to our share of international refugees,
to reasonably account for some family reunification, and - primarily -
to determine just how many new citizens our economic situation can
reasonably absorb. I am not yet satisfied that these issues have
received adequate attention in the debate.

As you know, in December 2005, the U.S. House of Representatives
passed the Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration
Control Act (H.R. 4437). The bill addressed some of the above
concerns, but in my opinion contained some counterproductive or
unnecessary provisions that would render agreement with the Senate
on final legislation unlikely. Moreover, the proposal was largely
silent about treatment of those currently in the country unlawfully,
and I believe a bill should comprehensively deal with the issue of
immigration.

The U.S. Senate's recently-passed comprehensive immigration bill is
at variance with the House bill. A House-Senate Conference
Committee will be established to negotiate the final legislation by
reconciling differences between them. Thereafter, the final bill of the
Conference Committee will be brought before each body for a vote.

This will be the only measure remaining upon which I will have an
opportunity to vote. It is expected to be considerably different than
either the House or Senate version once it is in final form. I hope that
you understand it is from a need to have available all details - not
from any avoidance of the issue - that my ultimate decision must
await that proposal. I shall be following closely the negotiations of
the Conference Committee. Please know that all of the matters
expressed above, together with your concerns, will certainly be
considered as I do so, and as I determine any vote on a final bill.

Again, thank you for taking the time to contact me. Please feel free to
do so regarding any matter of concern to you.

Sincerely,

John F. Tierney
Member of Congress

One question....Can you spell amnesty? Another member of the treason club. Hopefully he will not be a part of the conference committee.

Yep. We already know how to treat those millions already here. Put a lid on the trough. Drive them home one after the other until it's over.

Here's mine:

June 6, 2006

Mr. XXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXXX, NC XXXXX



Dear Mr. XXXXX:

Thank you for your responding to my email regarding illegal immigration.

I agree that we must do much more to address the illegal immigration problem. In 1996, Congress passed the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (Public Law 104-20, which provided additional resources to the Border Patrol, and increases penalties for hiring and transporting illegal aliens and for document fraud. In 2001, Congress approved the USA PATRIOT Act (P.L. 107-56), which contained provisions to increase the ability of federal authorities to prevent non-citizens from entering the United States. The bill also authorized the Attorney General to detain non-citizens who are believed to pose security risks for up to seven days without filing formal charges.

On May 15, 2002, President Bush signed into law the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act (P.L. 107-173), which contained provisions to tighten U.S. border security and prevent terrorists from entering the United States, while also making it harder for aliens to overstay their visas without detection. It increased the number of immigration inspectors and Customs Service agents at U.S. ports of entry and established an electronic system to track foreign students in the United States.

Despite these and other efforts by Congress, however, the illegal immigration problem has persisted, with the number of illegal aliens in the United States now up to approximately 12 million. I am convinced that a major factor behind our failure to solve the problem in the past has been a near exclusive focus on enhanced border security. As you know from my earlier correspondence, I believe solving the problem requires a comprehensive approach that focuses on eliminating both the demand for illegal workers in the United States through employer sanctions and a legal foreign worker program, and through eliminating the supply of illegal aliens through enhanced border contr! ols and law enforcement capacity.

As you may know, The Senate passed a comprehensive reform bill, S. 2611, on May 25, 2006. This bill includes provisions to significantly strengthen border security, impose strict sanctions on employers who hire illegal workers, establish a guest worker program, and establish a path to legal status for most illegal aliens who entered the United States before January 7, 2004. Any final immigration reform legislation will depend on the ability of a conference of House and Senate members to resolve the differences between the two bills.

Thank you again for contacting me. Please continue to stay in touch on issues of concern.

Sincerely,


DAVID PRICE

Member of Congress

Congressman Price voted against H.R. 4437.