Thread: Response from Senator John Ensign

I don't know much about Senator Ensign, even though he is my senator, but here is his response to my letter regarding immigration reform.


Dear Ms. :



Thank you for contacting me regarding immigration reform. I value the opinions of every Nevadan and am always grateful to those who take the time to inform me of their views.



America is a nation of immigrants but also a nation of laws. The national security of the United States depends on an immigration policy that first and foremost secures our borders. Our immigration policy also must demand accountability from those who hire illegal workers by creating a national employee verification system that employers would be required to use to verify the legal status of their employees and imposing severe penalties for employers who hire illegal workers. We should welcome those who want to enter the country legally, learn English, maintain employment, pay taxes, and contribute to our communities. We should not have to accept those who are not working full time; who have committed a crime or may present a danger to American citizens or legal immigrants; or who go on, or are likely to go on, public assistance or become dependent on any other government program.



When the Senate was debating immigration reform last year, I offered several amendments to improve the bill. My first amendment would have provided that illegal immigrants cannot collect Social Security benefits based on their illegal work history. I do not believe that we should reward people who have committed a felony by stealing another person's Social Security number, or who used fraudulent documents to obtain a job, with Social Security benefits. Unfortunately, this amendment failed by a vote of 50-49. My second amendment clarified a provision in the bill related to the payment of back taxes by people who would receive citizenship under the bill. Under the bill, illegal workers would be required to pay back taxes but would also be allowed to claim the earned income credit and other tax credits, which would often offset any back taxes that they owed. Current law states that illegal immigrants cannot claim these credits, and my amendment clarified that illegal immigrants who receive amnesty would not be eligible to claim these credits retroactively to offset their tax obligations. I was please to see its provisions included in the final bill. My third amendment authorized the use of the National Guard on the border. The infusion of National Guard assets will free more Border Patrol Agents from clerical, transportation, and logistical jobs and return them to helping detect and apprehend illegal aliens on the front lines.



Ultimately, I could not support the final version of last year's immigration bill because, among its many flaws, it rewarded criminal behavior with Social Security benefits, failed to create an effective employment verification system, and granted amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants without the certainty of securing our nation's borders. While I did vote against this bill, it passed the Senate on May 25, 2006, by a vote of 62 to 36. The House and the Senate were unable to work out the differences between their versions of the bill in 2006. Because Congress failed to do so, we have to start all over with this issue in the 110th Congress. It is my hope that the Senate will rethink its approach to immigration reform and consider more amendments such as the ones I offered last year.



Please rest assured that I will be sure to keep your concerns, and the concerns of all Nevadans, in mind as the Senate considers this legislation. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with me. If you should have further questions or comments or would like to sign up for my monthly newsletter, please feel free to write or e-mail me via my website at http://ensign.senate.gov.



Sincerely,



JOHN ENSIGN

United States Senator

Originally Posted by Tamarra[b

]I don't know much about Senator Ensign, even though he is my senator, but here is his response to my letter regarding immigration reform.[/b]


He is my senator also and I did vote for him, but I would like to see the incentives taken away that draw illegals into this country. Those are; seriously go after employees that hire illegals and stop the automatic citizenship for children born to illegals . Ensign has not spoke on the latter.

Thank you for contacting me regarding immigration reform. I value the opinions of every Nevadan and am always grateful to those who take the time to inform me of their views.



America is a nation of immigrants but also a nation of laws. The national security of the United States depends on an immigration policy that first and foremost secures our borders. Our immigration policy also must demand accountability from those who hire illegal workers by creating a national employee verification system that employers would be required to use to verify the legal status of their employees and imposing severe penalties for employers who hire illegal workers. We should welcome those who want to enter the country legally, learn English, maintain employment, pay taxes, and contribute to our communities. We should not have to accept those who are not working full time; who have committed a crime or may present a danger to American citizens or legal immigrants; or who go on, or are likely to go on, public assistance or become dependent on any other government program.

When the Senate was debating immigration reform last year, I offered several amendments to improve the bill. My first amendment would have provided that illegal immigrants cannot collect Social Security benefits based on their illegal work history. I do not believe that we should reward people who have committed a felony by stealing another person's Social Security number, or who used fraudulent documents to obtain a job, with Social Security benefits. Unfortunately, this amendment failed by a vote of 50-49. My second amendment clarified a provision in the bill related to the payment of back taxes by people who would receive citizenship under the bill. Under the bill, illegal workers would be required to pay back taxes but would also be allowed to claim the earned income credit and other tax credits, which would often offset any back taxes that they owed. Current law states that illegal immigrants cannot claim these credits, and my amendment clarified that illegal immigrants who receive amnesty would not be eligible to claim these credits retroactively to offset their tax obligations. I was please to see its provisions included in the final bill. My third amendment authorized the use of the National Guard on the border. The infusion of National Guard assets will free more Border Patrol Agents from clerical, transportation, and logistical jobs and return them to helping detect and apprehend illegal aliens on the front lines.


Ultimately, I could not support the final version of last year's immigration bill because, among its many flaws, it rewarded criminal behavior with Social Security benefits, failed to create an effective employment verification system, and granted amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants without the certainty of securing our nation's borders. While I did vote against this bill, it passed the Senate on May 25, 2006, by a vote of 62 to 36. The House and the Senate were unable to work out the differences between their versions of the bill in 2006. Because Congress failed to do so, we have to start all over with this issue in the 110th Congress. It is my hope that the Senate will rethink its approach to immigration reform and consider more amendments such as the ones I offered last year.



Please rest assured that I will be sure to keep your concerns, and the concerns of all Nevadans, in mind as the Senate considers this legislation. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with me. If you should have further questions or comments or would like to sign up for my monthly newsletter, please feel free to write or e-mail me via my website at http://ensign.senate.gov.



Sincerely,



JOHN ENSIGN

United States Senator

This must be a form letter he is sending out I recieved the same one ..

I don't know much about him but one positive note is that he's at least THINKING about some of the detrimental results of ILLEGALS on our America.

It might be that this Senator can be taught about the other dangers.
This is a main Focus of Alipac....to work with Congress and the good guys.

How about you guys in Nevada start sending him some pertinent information and calling his staff to begin a dialogue? Build a repoire with them.........this would be extremely beneficial.

my 2 cents