Myrick opposes reform
Immigration plan criticized

http://www.newsobserver.com/politics/story/576508.html

Charlotte Observer
5/22/07

At a news conference Monday, U.S. Rep. Sue Myrick said she will not back an agreement on immigration reform unveiled last week by the Bush administration and a group of U.S. senators.

The agreement, the Charlotte Republican said, was "amnesty wrapped in approximately 1,000 pages."

"I think it's a slap in the face to the 4 million in our country legally who are already in the system awaiting citizenship," she said.

The agreement has not yet become a bill. It would let millions of illegal immigrants receive legal status. Officials estimate that some 390,000 illegal immigrants live in North Carolina and about 55,000 in South Carolina.

Myrick said the agreement provides no way to verify who was here before January 2007, opening the door for more to come. She said it also requires no background check for illegal immigrants already in the country, and she is concerned the program will make them eligible for Social Security benefits and welfare.

Myrick said the program also doesn't provide enough fencing at the border or enough programs to deport illegal immigrants charged with crimes.