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U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor consistent in opposition to 'amnesty' plan

By U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor
Special to The Clarion-Ledger


WASHINGTON — I am firmly against the provisions in S. 1348 granting amnesty to illegal immigrants and will vote against any amnesty legislation if it is considered by the House of Representatives.

The Senate has pulled the immigration reform bill from the floor for now, but it may come up again in the near future. President Bush has stated his support for the Senate legislation, since it contains many provisions of his temporary worker program.

I have consistently opposed the president's plan, as it basically amounts to an amnesty.

The last time our country granted amnesty to illegal immigrants was in 1986 during the Reagan administration. Back then, it was claimed amnesty would bring an end to illegal immigration. With the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the nation today, the 1986 amnesty was clearly a failure. It would be foolish and irresponsible for Congress and our president to repeat this mistake and grant yet another amnesty.

Amnesty would only encourage employers to cut wages, eliminate benefits, and weaken workers' rights and protections. We cannot reward the immigrants or the employers who have broken our laws.

Amnesty for illegal workers would only encourage more to come here illegally.

Over the years, I have voted to strengthen our borders from illegal immigration. Last year, I voted in favor of legislation that would: construct 700 miles of new fencing along our border with Mexico, require the Department of Homeland Security to gain "operational security" along the border, install surveillance cameras and other sensors. I also voted to fund an additional 1,500 Border Patrol Agents, increasing the total to approximately 14,800 agents.

I support stronger sanctions against employers who hire illegal workers, especially those who have done so repeatedly. The Social Security inspector general found that the 300 largest employers in the restaurant, service, and agriculture industries submitted 2,760,765 incorrect Social Security numbers over a three-year period.

Despite the prevalence of worker misuse of Social Security numbers in these industries, the government has not required these businesses to be more diligent in their hiring practices.

I am working with my colleagues in Congress to expedite the process for employers to verify the legal status of workers. If we can do a background check before allowing a citizen to purchase a firearm, then we should be able to quickly determine whether a person is legal to work in the United States.

Once a quick verification system is in place, I support dramatically increasing the penalties for employers who knowingly hire illegal workers.

While many service, restaurant, and agriculture employers are reducing their wages by hiring illegal workers, some manufacturing industries are reducing wages by relocating plants to foreign countries. Mississippi has lost dozens of textile, apparel, paper, and other manufacturing plants because our nation's trade policies favor low-wage foreign workers and corporate stockholders at the expense of American workers.

I strongly opposed NAFTA, the reduction of tariffs with Communist China, and other trade policies that have weakened our manufacturing base. A few years of cheaper products and corporate bonuses will not make up for the long-term damage to the American economy and American workers.

The U.S. trade policies have eliminated many jobs and hold down the wages of the jobs that remain. Now, the president and other advocates of immigration amnesty would endorse the practices of employers who hire illegal immigrants to displace American workers and further push down wages.

Our government should not base its economic policy simply on helping businesses find cheap labor at home and abroad. Congress and the president should focus on rebuilding the American manufacturing base and rewarding the skills of American workers. That is the key to our nation's prosperity and economic security.