I recently wrote a long and heated letter to Senator Allard. This is my reply from him with name and salutation deleted


Thank you for contacting me regarding our border security. I appreciate
you sharing your thoughts on the situation we face.

The tragedy that occurred on September 11, 2001 has forced the United
States to take a closer look at a number of our current policies including
immigration. I recognize the contributions that immigrants have made to
improve our lives. During this time of crisis we must not forget that
our forefathers were all immigrants who had a strong sense of personal
responsibility and who established the strong foundations of individualism
which have made this country what it is today. However, the security of
the citizens of the United States cannot be compromised.

You may be interested to know that I am a cosponsor of S. 1438, the
Comprehensive Enforcement and Immigration Reform Act of 2005. This bill
would strengthen immigration enforcement and comprehensively reform our
immigration laws. Key components of the bill include enhanced border
security, increased interior enforcement, employer accountability,
creation of a temporary worker program, and mandatory departure for
illegal aliens. This bill puts in place both the stringent legal
requirements and the resources necessary to improve border control and
prevent illegal hiring in the United States.

I supported and voted for the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Reform Act
which President Bush signed into law on May 14, 2002. This law will help
stop the ability of terrorists to move freely across borders and operate
within this country by providing additional resources for the INS, Border
Patrol, Department of State, consular personnel, training, facilities, pay
raises to help retain personnel, and security-related technology. It also
directs the administration to develop and implement an interoperable law
enforcement and intelligence data system interlinked to all the systems
currently being used by for visa, admissibility, or deportation
determination purposes (with name-matching and linguistic capacity).

Defeating terrorism in this country needs to be a priority while
continuing to preserve the rights of citizens under the Constitution. I
will certainly keep your thoughts in mind as I look at other proposals
concerning our immigration policies.

With regard to immigration, I make a clear distinction between illegal and
legal immigration. I have been greatly disturbed by the recent news in
Colorado that police officers must often release illegal immigrants caught
during routine traffic stops due to a failure of the Immigration and
Naturalization Service to take the necessary steps to deport the illegal
immigrants. We must crack down on all illegal immigration, and I am
looking into this situation to see how best to stop the flow of illegal
immigrants through Colorado.

We should no longer be passive about deportation, particularly with
illegals who have committed crimes in this country. They should be
deported immediately. Any proposal which attempts to stem the flow of
illegal aliens across our borders or presents a common-sense alternative
to the current Federal government policy will receive my full
consideration.

As for legal immigrants, I favor strong sponsorship requirements and other
policies which aim to ensure that immigrants enter this country as
productive members of society in pursuit of opportunity, not public
assistance. Our forefathers were all immigrants, but they were immigrants
with a strong sense of personal responsibility who established the strong
foundations of individualism which have made this country what it is
today.

Thank you for writing to share your concerns. I look forward to hearing
from you again. If you would like more information on issues important to
Colorado and the nation, please log on to my website at
http://allard.senate.gov.


Sincerely,
A
Wayne Allard
United States Senator