Thread: IL: Immigration reform an issue to avoid for some 14th Cong.

Immigration reform an issue to avoid for some 14th Cong. candidates
By James Fuller | Daily Herald Staff
9/19/2010 12:01 AM

The four candidates in the 14th Congressional District admit they don't have all the answers when it comes to the immigration reform. In a contentious race with a national spotlight, the incumbent and his top challenger would not provide answers when it came to some of the more divisive immigration reform problems.

Bill Foster, Democrat

Immigration was a hot issue in Congressman Foster's last campaign against Republican challenger Jim Oberweis. At that time, Foster said the answer to slowing illegal immigration is a mix of more fences, border agents and better technology to detect illegal crossings. He also said he supported more expedient methods to legal citizenship and harsher punishments for businesses knowingly hiring illegal immigrants.

For the current election, Foster, a Batavia resident, provided written responses to a Daily Herald questionnaire that duplicated his previous positions. He added:

"We must also crack down on employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants and provide them will a reliable database to verify a worker's employment eligibility. Undocumented workers currently in the United States must pay a fine for breaking our laws, undergo criminal background checks, pay their taxes, learn English, and go to the back of the line to apply for citizenship."

With the controversy over Arizona's immigration law, the Daily Herald submitted follow-up questions to Foster. The questions included whether Foster believes the issue is a state or federal problem, what Foster believes should be done when a local police officer comes into contact with an illegal immigrant, and whether Foster supports a requirement for all people to carry proof of citizenship at all times. Foster was also asked if there should be a change in the cap on the number of legal immigrants allowed into the country each year. Foster declined to specifically address any of those questions or submit to an interview on the topic.

Foster's campaign spokeswoman Bridget Coyne said Foster will wait for a comprehensive immigration reform proposal for Congress to debate before weighing in on any of those topics.

Randy Hultgren, Republican

Hultgren is in his first bid for congressional office and has less of a track record on the immigration topic. In his questionnaire, the Winfield resident gave a short answer on border security:

"Strengthening the security of our nation's border is the main issue. There would be limited issue with our immigration laws if our borders were secure. I would not support increasing the cap on the number of legal immigrants, especially with the millions of illegal aliens we have in this country now, but I do support reducing the bureaucratic hurdles that prevent highly skilled entrepreneurs from entering the country legally, starting new businesses and creating jobs."

Hultgren was also asked for a follow-up interview but refused to address the topic of immigration being a state or federal issue, how police officers should act when encountering an illegal immigrant, whether he supports carrying proof for citizenship at all times, or forcing immigrants to learn English.

Hultgren was also asked to provide more detail on exactly how he would strengthen border security. Campaign spokesman Gill Stevens said in a written reply that border security is a failed federal responsibility.

"The use of patrols and unmanned aerial vehicles needs to be reinforced with additional resources to ensure a secure border," Stevens said.

Hultgren was also asked to detail how he would reduce the bureaucratic hurdles to legal citizenship. He declined to provide more detail.

Dan Kairis, Green Party

Both third-party candidates in the race responded to all the initial questions and submitted to full follow-up interviews. Kairis, a South Elgin resident, said the federal government has failed to enforce laws already on the books, and that's where the answers to immigration reform begin. Kairis supports creating a window of up to three years to allow illegal immigrants to return to their native countries without penalty. After that, any immigrant found in the country illegally should be deported and denied citizenship in the U.S. for life, Kairis said. And while he doesn't agree with all the aspects of Arizona's law, he does believe states have the right to take over when the federal government refuses to address the problem.

"It's like bank robbery," Kairis said. "That's a federal crime, but if the FBI were to not take care of it, would local law enforcement do absolutely nothing? No. The states have to pick up the slack."

Kairis also supports the idea of carrying some sort of identification at all times. Most people drive and must carry a driver's license at all times anyway, Kairis reasoned. However, he doesn't like the idea of a new national ID card because he believes that's what Social Security numbers and cards have already become. Kairis believes police should be able to identify whether someone is a legal citizen through whatever ID people commonly carry. Only if the ID is believed to be fraudulent should further investigation about legal status ensue.

Kairis said all immigrants should learn English. He also believes the best way to seal the border with Mexico is to relocate National Guard training to the border and make border patrol part of their regular training.

Doug Marks, write-in

Marks, a Libertarian from Carpentersville, said in a perfect world U.S. borders would be completely open, but America gives away too much through the welfare system for that to be cost-effective. Marks supports the creation of a streamlined path to legal citizenship with reduced fees to end the long waits that sometimes lead to illegal border crossings. In the meantime, there should be no public benefits given to illegal immigrants, he said.

"Any person who is not a legal citizen should not benefit from any current, or future, taxpayer-funded program available," Marks said.

The federal government must also close the citizenship loophole that sees illegal immigrants benefit from having children born in the U.S. who automatically become citizens.

"We should make it so that at least one of the parents must be a U.S. citizen in order for that child's citizenship to stick," Marks said. "Parents who are here illegally need to pay the consequences for their actions."

Marks supports the creation of a fine or mandatory public service, rather than deportation, for all illegal immigrants who are working. Unemployed illegal immigrants should be deported, he said.

"If someone walked into my home and started eating my food and using my electricity, even if they dropped $50 on the table, the bottom line is they still broke into my home," Marks said. "They need to be adjudicated for that."

Marks does not favor a national ID but does believe everyone should carry the identification they already need to have to drive and work legally at all times. He also believes all immigrants should learn English. Like Kairis, he believes the federal government must protect the borders of the county, but that states reserve the right to enforce their own immigration policies when the federal government fails to do its job.

Marks said the key is attracting quality immigrants who make the country a better place.

"Immigrants used to come to this country to find religious freedom, freedom of speech, freedom from an oppressive government, or for the opportunity for a better and more prosperous life. Now, many just come looking for handouts of free health care, education, housing and food. States must have the ability to say, 'No, we're not giving out free stuff any more.'"

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=409164

foster is a traitor, oberwiess should be running this time, marks lives in c-ville, and thats ground zero imo. we will see, how any liberal dem can win anything this time around will only be by fraud. hultgren will be the one imo.

I am on both their websites.

Neither Hultgren http://hultgrenforcongress.com/
or Foster http://www.billfoster.com/

have immigration mentioned

the milkman most likely was slammed by aliens voting illegally in his aurora area. lets see how foster fairs this time.noland got in too, and his wife is the head of the local LULAC chapter, if im wrong let me know. kane is a hotbed of aliens imo.