House should vote on SAVE Act measure

In 1995, Democratic Rep. Barbara Jordan, one of the first African-American women to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives, advocated sound immigration reform before a Subcommittee on Immigration and Claims.

Representative Jordan stated that illegal immigration is unlawful and unacceptable. She made the "distinctions between those who obey the law, and those who violate it."

She also disagreed with those who labeled her efforts to control illegal immigration as somehow inherently anti-immigrant.

Ms. Jordan's proposal focused on four key enforcement areas: the removal of job magnets that attract illegal immigration; penalizing employers that violate U.S. immigration regulations; tighter border security, and the removal of taxpayer-funded entitlements for illegal aliens. This proposal was endorsed by President Clinton.

Today, our immigration system still remains broken due to the lack of enforcement by our federal, state and local governments.

The Pew Hispanic Research Center estimates that more than 680,000 illegal aliens cross the border every year. We are also seeing the same political posturing from special-interest groups that label those who are against illegal immigration as "racist" or "anti-immigrant."

It isn't too late to fix our immigration system.

In 2007, Rep. Heath Shuler, D-N.C., introduced the Secure America with Verification and Enforcement Act (SAVE Act). The SAVE Act is a common-sense approach that will provide tighter border security and tougher penalties against employers.

The SAVE Act has both bipartisan and the American public support. Despite having more than four-fifths of the signers needed for a vote in the U.S. House, the House leadership has resisted moving the act through the legislative process.

House members are being pressured not to sign the discharge petition and are putting special-interest groups before the American public.

It is time for our New Hampshire House leadership to step up to the plate and sign the discharge petition. It is time for both Reps. Carol Shea-Porter and Paul Hodes to listen to their constituents.
Annette Cameron
Nashua

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