Thread: Why I oppose Bush-Kennedy immigration reform bill

Why I oppose Bush-Kennedy immigration reform bill

In 1986, our country faced a situation similar to the one we face today.

That year a Democratic Congress debated and passed an immigration bill that pledged to beef up border security, crack down on employers breaking the law and grant amnesty to illegal immigrants through a three-step, 11.5-year process.


President Ronald Reagan wrestled with whether he should veto the bill or sign it into law.

In the recently released "Reagan Diaries," authored by the Great Communicator himself, President Reagan penned a telling line on why he ultimately chose to support the measure: "It's high time we regained control of our borders and this bill will do this."

Twenty-one years later, our borders are still not secure, the number of illegal immigrants continues to grow and our immigration system remains broken.

Currently, a group of senators, along with President Bush, are promoting a "grand compromise" on an immigration proposal that grants amnesty to illegal immigrants. This legislation, the Bush-Kennedy immigration bill, provides illegal immigrants the eligibility to pay in-state tuition and the ability to get federally subsidized loans.

Supporters of this legislation tried to quickly move it through the Senate. Drafted in a series of secret meetings, the Bush-Kennedy bill claims to solve every single problem in our nation's immigration system at one time.

The result is a bill that, if passed, would be almost impossible to implement and add more layers to America's already ineffective immigration process.

Since I took office in January, one of the topics I consistently have received the most feedback on from the Seventh District is illegal immigration.

As with the overwhelming majority of my constituents, I believe that any and all attempts to enact immigration reform must not include amnesty for lawbreakers.

The most disappointing aspect of the Bush-Kennedy bill is that it takes away from where the real focus of the immigration debate should be: America's national security.

Many Americans are divided on what immigration reform should entail, but on one point, almost all Americans agree: We must secure our borders.

Last year, Congress passed into law the Secure Fence Act, legislation requiring 854 miles of fencing to be built along the more broken parts of the U.S.-Mexico border.

To date, the Department of Homeland Security has built a mere 15 miles of this fence, despite a legislative mandate by the U.S. Congress requiring the fence to be built.

With Americans united in support of border security, there is no reason this fence is not built, and Congress should not support the president on immigration reform until he reaffirms his commitment to border security.

With a secured border, we can build on solutions to strengthen our country and maintain our heritage of embracing legal immigration.

We need to create a work permit program that meets the evolving needs of today's agriculture industry. Serious reform is also needed to bring an end to the massive amount of bureaucratic red-tape in our immigration system.

My constituents are tired of empty promises from Washington, D.C., and we must address immigration reform in a way that producers real results.

The crafters of the Bush-Kennedy bill are misguided on how to fix America's immigration problem, and on behalf of the American people I will push to secure our borders and enact common-sense immigration reforms.

Congressman Tim Walberg represents Michigan's Seventh Congressional District.

http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/apps ... /706270313

My constituents are tired of empty promises from Washington, D.C., and we must address immigration reform in a way that producers real results.

Hear, Hear, Hear!!!!!