Thread: Reply from US Senator Richard Burr

Thank you for contacting me about the current immigration debate. I appreciate hearing your thoughts on this important issue.

I believe we must gain control of our borders and implement enforcement measures that work. Strengthening our borders is a critical first step so that those who think about entering our nation illegally are deterred and those who cross our borders illegally are caught. This includes stepping up our border patrol presence at our international borders and our ports of entry.

I believe that we shougld only permit those into our country who respect our laws, our system of government, and way of life. As a nation, we have welcomed generations of legal immigrants over the course of our history--immigrants who respect the law and contribute a great deal to our county. Immigrants should demonstrate their intentions of becoming productive, law-abiding members of our society as a condition for receiving citizenship. I do not support a blanket amnesty that would reward those who have broken the law.

Congress must also recognize the value of temporary worker programs. That said, individuals who have entered our country illegally and remain within our borders should not be rewarded. A temporary worker visa should not be mistaken for a free pass for full citizenship.

For these reasons, I am co-sponsor of S. 1438, the Comprehensive Enforcement and Immigration Reform Act of 2005, introduced by Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) and Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ). S. 1438 would establish a new "W" temporary worker visa, replacing the H-2B visa category, under the Immigration and Nationality Act. S. 1438 would not provide W workers with any special way to obtain citizenship and would impose harsh penalties on anyone who did not depart the Unites States when required to do so.

On March 3, 2006, I introduced a version of "The Scott Gardner Act" (S. 2365) in the Senate. Representative Sue Myrick (R-NC) introduced "The Scott Gardner Act" in the House of Representatives on September 14, 2005. Scott Gardner, a man from Mount Holly, was killed when his car was struck by an illegal immigrant driving under the influence of alcohol.
Representative Myrick's proposal would make any Driving Under the Influence (DUI) conviction an automatic deportable offense for any illegal immigrant. Such an accident is a horrible tragedy, and, knowing that the offender was in our country illegally and had prior DUI convictions makes a mockery of our legal system.

The Senate most recently debated two immigration proposals. Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) introduced a border security bill, S. 2454. And Judiciary Chairman Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) offered comprehensive immigration legislation which I did not support. During debate of these two bills, a so-called "compromise proposal" was considered and defeated on the Senate floor through a procedural vote.

While I strongly support efforts to improve border security and pass comprehensive immigration reform, I believe the immigartion "compromise proposal" is fundamentally flawed. The bottom line is that the proposal rewards those who have broken the law. Those who have broken the law should not rewarded with a clear path to citizenship.

I remain hopeful the Senate will find a common sense approach to border security legislation and comprehensive immigration reform and that we will bring this important issue back to the Senate floor soon. I understand the importance of this issue to many North Carolinians, and I will continue to work toward a solution. While I am serving as your United States Senator, I will work to reform our immigration system in order to protect the interests of all Americans. If I can be of further assistance to you, please do not hesitate to contact me or visit my website at http://burr.senate.gov.

Sincerely,


Richard Burr
United States Senator

They are all almost the same.We belive in strong borders,BLAH,BLAH,BLAh,but.....