INHOFE INTRODUCES IMMIGRATION BILL

May 2, 2007
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) today once again introduced his immigration legislation aimed at addressing the ever-increasing influx of illegal immigrants to the United States and its strain on society. Inhofe’s ENFORCE - Engaging the Nation to Fight for Our Right to Control Entry -Act (S.1269) increases U.S. border security, emphasizes greater enforcement of existing immigration laws and prevents amnesty and other shortcuts for illegal immigrants.

“Illegal immigrants continue to cross our country’s borders, strain our economy and exploit our resources,” Inhofe said. “The gravity of this situation warrants that Americans of all political stripes come together to address this problem immediately. I will not stand idly by and watch our great nation collapse under the pressures of uncontrolled illegal immigration; this is a crisis and one that must be addressed aggressively.

“Simply granting citizenship to immigrants, who are currently in our country illegally, is not the answer. We must enhance our border security, hold those accountable who encourage illegal immigration and ensure that those who violate our laws by entering our country illegally do not have this illegal activity easily forgiven and even rewarded with permanent residence or citizenship. Our nation’s future rests on Congress’ actions of today, and the ENFORCE Act is a strong step in the right direction to help solve our growing problem of illegal immigration.”

Major Provisions in Inhofe’s ENFORCE Act:

· Establishes the National Border Neighborhood Watch (NBNW) Program allowing retired law enforcement officers to assist Border Patrol agents by reporting illegal border crossings.
· Makes unlawful-presence in the United States a felony.
· Establishes an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
· Authorizes funding for online immigration training for state and local law enforcement officers.
· Eliminates the practice of granting automatic U.S. citizenship to children born to illegal immigrants in an effort to reduce ‘anchor babies.’
· Establishes an independent verification system for Social Security numbers; also mandates that immigrant’s Social Security numbers expire when visa runs out.
· Establishes electronic birth & death registries to fight fraudulent Social Security cards
· Helps reduce Individual Taxpayer Identification Number abuse.
· Empowers state & local law enforcement to carryout immigration laws (but does not make it mandatory).
· Establishes penalties for most flagrant employer tax violations—i.e. if an employer willfully files incorrect tax returns, they will be assessed the maximum penalties available.
· Makes it illegal to operate day laborer centers for illegal aliens and to give them unemployment assistance.
· Eliminates in-state tuition benefits for illegal aliens.

http://inhofe.senate.gov/public/index.c ... fa02764c40