Thread: My Response to Salazar of Colorado's Backing of Amnesty

Dear Senator Salazar,

I take great issue with the contents of this letter from you. I honestly don't why some of you in the Senate think it is alright to work in opposition to your constituents. Perhaps if you are never elected to higher office again, you'll understand. You were elected to represent the majority, not carry water for special interest groups and campaign contributors.

You are being either naive or intellectually dishonest when you make the contention that the authors of the bill were representative of a diverse group of lawmakers. The group consisted of the author of the last amnesty bill, Ted Kennedy and five other Senators who consulted with racist organizations exploitive employer organizations and the Mexican government to craft the bill. Many consider Senator Kennedy to be the cause of the illegal immigration problems we are experiencing today. This group tried to fast track passage of the bill to avoid public scrutiny of this lopsided travesty. This is hardly a balanced and broadly bipartisan group.

Only the most naive person would be foolish enough to believe that enforcement will ever happen. History is the best indicator of the future and for twenty one years America citizens have put up with the promise of strict border enforcement. We won't be fooled again. All analysis of the bill says that the enforcement portion is subjective at best. The bill actually reduces the miles of fence required by last year's border bill, a bill that has resulted in two miles of fence to date. We already have laws on the books that deal with every aspect of enforcement and have been virtually ignored by our government for 20 plus years. Do you think we are stupid enough to think that because you add new laws, they won't also be ignored? Tying enforcement to the amnesty portion of the bill ensures that the amnesty will take place; but enforcement will be forgotten. The triggers are simply timelines and will not stop the legitimization of illegal immigrants with Z visas.

Unscrupulous employers will give preference to Z visa holders over American citizens, further damaging the ability for poor citizens to get ahead. Our poorest citizens have had to compete with illegal aliens in a limited basis in the job market today, with this program they will have to compete across the board with people who broke our immigration laws. You give the caveat, "if implemented properly" when talking about the Z Visa program. I can almost guarantee it will not be implemented properly. Even Senator Schumer acknowledges that this bill will create a secondary waive of illegal immigration after the first round is processed, exploiting the gaping holes in the bill.

As for your contention that this is not amnesty, illegal aliens are forgiven of taxes, can immediately compete for jobs, are given immediate access to the Z visa and are not scrutinized through the visa process. Gang members, drug dealers and ex-convicts would all be granted freedom of movement under this program. They are given special privileges such as in state tuition and are not required to leave the country to apply for citizenship. If that isn't amnesty, than there is no such thing.

Overwhelmingly, your constituents and citizens across the country want our existing immigration laws enforced. We want the number of illegal immigrants currently in the country greatly reduced and that could be easily achieved by following the lead of Representative Steve King. Representative King wants to use our tax system to punish employers who hire illegal aliens. It's a simple but effective way to fix our illegal immigration problem.

American citizens are expecting you and other members of the Senate to reject this flawed legislation and insist on enforcement of our existing laws. If you can't find a way to do that, we'll find someone who can.

Sincerely,



XXXX

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Thank you for contacting me regarding immigration reform. I appreciate hearing from you on this very important issue.

Let me first say that I can certainly understand the strong feelings on all sides of this difficult and urgent issue. My own approach to the issue of immigration reform is based on two guiding principles. First and foremost, in order to put a stop to the flow of illegal immigrants into our nation, our borders must be secured and our laws must be enforced. Second, we need a system for dealing with the twelve million undocumented immigrants already in the U.S. that is practical, fair, and firm.

On May 17, after intense negotiations spanning the course of months, I joined a bipartisan, ideologically diverse group of senators in announcing that an agreement had been reached on comprehensive immigration reform legislation. This agreement is an important first step forward toward fixing our broken immigration system, and I believe it reflects the multi-faceted nature of the urgent problem we face as a nation.

The agreement has four major components. First, it would secure our porous borders through the construction of 370 miles of fencing, 200 miles of vehicle barriers, and the deployment of 70 ground-based radar and camera towers. The legislation would strengthen the enforcement of our immigration laws by increasing the number of Border Patrol agents, deploying resources to detain 27,500 illegal immigrants a day on an annual basis, and increasing the number of interior and workplace enforcement inspectors. It would also hold employers accountable for illegal hiring practices by requiring them to electronically verify the legal status of new hires and all existing employees under the threat of heavy fines for noncompliance, a change from current law. Collectively, all of these measures will improve our national security and diminish the flow of illegal immigrants into our country. They are the centerpiece and the emphasis of this legislation.

Second, once the benchmarks outlined above are met, and only once the new security measures are implemented, the legislation provides for the creation of a new temporary worker program to fill jobs for which American workers cannot be found. Under this program, employers could hire temporary workers only after they advertised and made attempts to hire American workers. I believe this program, if implemented properly, will go a long way toward helping farmers, ranchers, and businesses across Colorado and the nation. At the same time, I will work to ensure there is proper oversight and enforcement of the program’s provisions designed to protect American workers.

Third, the legislation would augment the current visa system, which stresses family ties in the allocation of visas, to include a merit-based point system that would take into account an applicant's previous experience in a high-demand occupation, as well as his/her educational level and English proficiency. While I believe the changes to our current visa system would help America remain competitive in the global economy, I also believe it must be constructed and implemented in a way that preserves our longstanding commitment to bringing families together in our immigration policy.

Finally, the legislation would allow undocumented workers currently in the U.S. to continue working here while applying for renewable four-year visas. After eight years, workers who are granted these visas would then be given the opportunity to earn their permanent residency (a green card). In order to do so, however, they would be required to pay a fine, remain crime-free, demonstrate English proficiency, go to the back of the line behind current green card/citizenship applicants, submit to rigorous background checks, and to return to their country of origin to file the application.

Some claim that this border security, enforcement, and visa system is amnesty. They are wrong. This proposal does not absolve undocumented workers from their responsibility to the rule of law. It recognizes, however, that many of these workers are contributing members of our society, and as such, it provides a strict and thorough process through which they can come out of the shadows and right their wrongs in a manner that is humane, fair, and consistent with our values.

This agreement represents only a first step, and I will be the first to admit that it is not perfect. But it is my strong conviction that we cannot allow the perfect to get in the way of the good. The problem of immigration has festered for too long, and the time is now to tackle it head on.

Again, thank you for taking the time to share your views.


Sincerely,

Ken Salazar
United States Senator

Very good response!