This is what I received from Senator Kohl. Obviously his position is that of amnesty. Call or Write him to let him know that amnesty is unacceptable and that rewarding bad behaviour will only encourage more of it.

Dear Mr. Derks:

Thank you for taking the time to contact me. I always
enjoy hearing from people back home in Wisconsin, and I would
like to take this opportunity to address your concerns.

I am deeply concerned about the current state of our
immigration system. During the 109th Congress the Senate
considered S. 2611, the "Comprehensive Immigration Reform
Act," to repair our broken immigration system. On May 25, 2006,
the Senate passed the bill by a vote of 62-36. The House of
Representatives, later in the year, passed an alternative measure.
Unfortunately, no compromise was reached on the House and
Senate immigration reform bills during the 109th Congress and
neither bill was enacted.

First and foremost, I believe that we need to control our
borders and vigorously enforce our laws. I will not vote for any
bill that does not accomplish this goal. To this end, S. 2611 would
have added thousands of additional border patrol agents and
authorized the use of the National Guard to help secure our
borders. It would have wisely increased the use of technology -
including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), cameras, and motion
sensors - so we can better monitor who is trying to cross our
borders. It would have also included a much-needed employment
verification system, so that employers can determine who in this
country is eligible to work and punish them when they employ
those who are here illegally. These and various other provisions in
the bill would have provided our immigration officials with both
the resources and the authority they need to get control over our
borders.

Border security alone, however, is not the entire solution.
We must also be practical about how to deal with the millions of
undocumented immigrants currently in this country. I do not
believe it is realistic to think we can deport them all. For those
hardworking, law-abiding people, who have been here for years
and set down roots in our communities, it is reasonable to allow
them to earn citizenship over a significant time period. This is
neither amnesty, nor automatic legalization. The Senate-passed
bill would have required undocumented workers to pay significant
fines for violating our immigration laws, work for a number of
years, learn English, follow our laws, and pay their taxes. Only
then would they be eligible to go to the back of the citizenship line.
In other words, the bill would have given them the opportunity,
over the course of eleven or twelve years, to demonstrate that they
deserve to be Americans.

I look forward to working with my colleagues in the 110th
Congress to enact comprehensive immigration reform legislation.
Again, thank you for taking the time to contact me. I appreciate
knowing your thoughts on this important issue.




Sincerely,


Herb Kohl
U.S. Senator