Thread: Sen. Jon Kyl's web site: Avoid amnesty by any name!

His words, from his web site. Remind him of what he promised the people of Arizona and this country.

http://kyl.senate.gov/legis_center/border.cfm

Border & Immigration Issues

Securing the borders of the United States to protect against the entry of terrorists, drug smugglers, and illegal aliens – while keeping them open for legitimate visitors and commerce – is one of my highest priorities.

The Need for Immigration Reform and Improved Border Security

The security of the United States and its citizens should be the foremost consideration in formulating border and immigration policies. Before the September 11 attacks, some people believed that it was not necessary either to control our borders effectively or collect important information about foreign visitors and other immigrants welcomed into our country. September 11 demonstrated the flaw in that thinking: Knowing whether terrorists are trying to enter the country, and whether visitors abide by their visas and respect our laws, are legitimate issues to be addressed in counterterrorism and immigration policies.

Consider the profound effects that legal and illegal immigration can have. When people enter the country legally, they demonstrate their respect for our laws. Arizona welcomes foreign visitors who appreciate our wonderful climate, natural treasures, and southwestern hospitality, and support our local economy. When foreign workers enter legally, they can be matched with certain hard-to-fill or specialty jobs, offering skills to improve our communities, while earning a decent wage and having the chance to enjoy the American dream. Family reunification can be facilitated when people, in good faith, abide by our laws as they seek entry into our country.

By contrast, illegal entry creates a series of problems. Our natural environment is damaged by many thousands of illegal border crossers, who trample sensitive lands and leave tons of trash behind them. Local governments are forced to devote an increasing share of scarce resources to deal with illegal immigrants; they also are forced to combat violent human traffickers and criminals who cross our border to take advantage of our open society – which in turn diminishes the ability of local governments to provide improved resources for their own citizens. Health-care providers, which are obligated by federal law to provide emergency care to anyone, including illegal aliens, regardless of their ability to pay, are compelled to cut back or eliminate emergency services. This has an impact on the ability of Arizonans to obtain care from hospitals and physicians.

Turning a blind eye to illegal immigration, or sanctioning it through amnesty, undermines the rule of law in our country. Amnesty mocks those who wait patiently, sometimes for years, to enter the U.S. through legal channels. It encourages more people to immigrate illegally with the expectation that they, too, might benefit from some future amnesty. Any reform of our nation’s immigration laws should be careful to avoid amnesty by any name.

Mitigating the Costs of Illegal Immigration to Local Communities

When the federal government fails to secure the border, immigration-related costs to state and local governments, and American citizens, can skyrocket. For example, a study by the U.S.-Mexico Border Counties Coalition estimated that hospitals in Arizona were required to provide $31 million a year in uncompensated health care for illegal aliens.

Think what that means to health-care delivery in Arizona. A mother about to deliver her baby may encounter overcrowded emergency rooms and long wait times because hospitals must devote scarce resources to also treat illegal aliens. Since they are not compensated for the care they are required to provide to illegal immigrants, hospitals have only a few choices: pass on the costs to paying patients (usually American citizens); absorb the costs; or limit (or eliminate) services they provide to the community.

Recognizing that health-care providers and state and local governments are required to bear these costs because of the federal government’s failure to secure the borders, Congress has begun to provide reimbursement. Before 2001, Congress reimbursed some of the states that were most affected by illegal immigration just $25 million a year; Arizona’s hospitals were unable to obtain a significant portion of that funding. That changed when, as a member of the Senate Finance Committee and a member of the House-Senate conference committee on the Medicare prescription-drug bill, I won passage of $1 billion through 2007 to reimburse hospitals for the federally mandated, but otherwise uncompensated, emergency medical care they provide to illegal immigrants. This year, I will work to extend that funding. And I made sure Arizona is finally assured a fair allocation of those funds. I have continued to pressure the Mexican government to accept expeditiously the transfer of stabilized Mexican patients from Arizona hospitals when those Mexicans are illegally in the U.S. and unable to pay for their care.

Aside from uncompensated health-care costs, communities are also required to bear the costs of arresting, prosecuting, and jailing illegal immigrants who commit other crimes. According to a study by the University of Arizona, those costs amounted to as much as $125 million per year – and that was just in the 28 southwestern border counties in Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas. I have introduced, and will continue to support, legislation to ensure the federal government reimburses States and localities for the costs incurred in dealing with such criminals.

Strengthening the Law

As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration, and Subcommittee on Terrorism and Homeland Security, I have played an active role in improving security along the border. In 2005, I joined Senator John Cornyn in introducing the Comprehensive Enforcement and Immigration Reform Act (CEIRA), a bill which we intend to improve and reintroduce this year. Our bill would authorize significant increases in personnel and funds needed to control our borders and to enforce immigration laws in the interior of the U.S. CEIRA contains overdue fixes to numerous long-standing problems. Among other things, it would ensure that dangerous criminal aliens are detained until they are removed from the U.S.; combat document fraud through increased training; enhance detention space to deter illegal migration; and reimburse Arizona for the funds expended enforcing federal immigration laws. CEIRA would require employers to accept only improved identity and work eligibility documents, increase penalties and fines against non-compliant employers, and provide funding for a corps of worksite investigators. CEIRA contains a temporary worker program that would allow businesses to employ foreign laborers on a temporary basis after proving that no qualified U.S. workers are available. It also calls on foreign governments to do their part by entering into bilateral agreements to promptly accept repatriation of their citizens who are illegally in the U.S., assist in reducing criminal gangs and human trafficking, and control illegal immigration.

[b]CEIRA would not offer a blanket amnesty to illegal aliens – they would have to depart the U.S. within five years and are encouraged to depart earlier through a series of inducements. Like many Arizonans, I do not believe that foreign nationals should profit from having illegally entered the U.S. by converting their status to that of lawful permanent residents (which is the pathway to citizenship). If “amnestyâ€

This is just too good.......

Any reform of our nation’s immigration laws should be careful to avoid amnesty by any name.

Guess BITE ME KYL has his people looking at Alipac often enough to have picked up this little SAYING

Is that plagerism?

Was Kyl's hard line against amnesty just a re-election ploy?

If he comes out with an amnesty bill, he'll be proving himself a supreme liar, and will forever lose the trust of Americans.

Originally Posted by Kate

Was Kyl's hard line against amnesty just a re-election ploy?

If he comes out with an amnesty bill, he'll be proving himself a supreme liar, and will forever lose the trust of Americans.

YES!