Dear Ms. .......



Thank you for contacting me to share your views on immigration. I appreciate hearing from you.



Immigration is a very complex and important issue facing our nation. While I am opposed to illegal immigration and believe our immigration laws need to be firmly enforced, I also believe that we must reform our broken immigration system. Immigration reform should be tough on lawbreakers, fair to taxpayers, and practical to implement. I do not believe it is practical to deport an estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants.



I believe reform must be comprehensive. We must secure our borders. We must effectively enforce our immigration laws in the workplace and harshly penalize employers who hire individuals not authorized to work, thereby eliminating the primary draw for people to come to this country illegally. We should create a new worker program, to help shift the illegal flow across the border into legal channels. And we must create a path to legalization for the undocumented immigrants currently in this country who pay fines for being here illegally, pass criminal background checks, learn English, work for several years, and go to the back of the line. I believe focusing on enforcement alone has not worked, will continue to compound existing problems, and will make our nation less secure.



On January 4, 2007, I introduced the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007 (S. 9). This legislation expresses the sense of Congress that the Senate and the House of Representatives should pass, and the President should sign, legislation to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide for more effective border and employment enforcement, to prevent illegal immigration, and to reform and rationalize avenues for legal immigration. S. 9 will soon be considered by the Senate Judiciary Committee.



Please be assured that I have noted your views and suggestions about immigration reform. I understand how important this issue is to Nevadans. I have studied this issue closely, listening to experts on every side of the debate. Unfortunately, the House and Senate were unable to reach a compromise on immigration legislation during the 109th Congress, but I hope that the President and Congress will work together to enact comprehensive immigration reform during the 110th.



Again, thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with me. For more information about my work for Nevada, my role in the United States Senate Leadership, or to subscribe to regular e-mail updates on the issues that interest you, please visit my Web site at http://reid.senate.gov. I look forward to hearing from you in the near future.



My best wishes to you.



Sincerely,


HARRY REID

United States Senator