May 4, 2009

Dear Mr. xxxxx,

Thank you for contacting me with your analysis of the impact of illegal immigration. I share your concerns. For far too long Congress has failed to address illegal immigration.

During my campaign, I promised to work toward resolving these issues. The first step is to fix legal immigration. Sometimes it takes people 20 years to go through the immigration process the right way. That creates a huge incentive to break the rules and sneak across the border. If we can streamline the legal immigration process, I'm hopeful that more people will choose to follow the rules. I will not support or vote for amnesty in any way, shape or form.

I do want to be compassionate toward those who come here seeking a better life. But I will not reward people for breaking the law. If we reward those who follow the rules, more people will do so. As you correctly pointed out, we currently reward people for coming here illegally - by providing free health care, education and other benefits. That sends the wrong message and gives people an incentive to come illegally.

Again, thank you for contacting my office, I really appreciate your interest in this issue. I hope you will continue to follow current events and develop opinions about what is happening in the world around you.

Sincerely,
Jason Chaffetz
Member of Congress