Response I received from Rep. David Price (D-NC):

March 28, 2007


Mr.xxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxx

xxxx xxxxxxx xxxxx

xxxxxxxx, NC xxxxxxx



Dear Mr. xxxx:


Thank you for contacting me regarding illegal immigration.


The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks made clear the critical importance of controlling our borders and knowing who crosses them. As the chairman of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, I am actively pushing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to move more quickly and eff ectively to solve our illegal immigration problem.

DHS has made clear that a solution will require more than a simple emphasis on fence construction or enhanced border enforcement. In addition to better physical and technological barriers and officers at the border, we will need to hold employers more accountable for hiring only legal workers and we must establish a foreign worker program that meets the needs of these employers, eliminating the imbalance between official immigration policy and our labor market needs that is the heart of the problem. Anything less than a comprehensive approach that includes all of these elements will result in failure and wasted resources.


Any comprehensive reform plan must realistically address the status of undocumented workers who are currently in the United States. I have made clear that I do not support a general amnesty for those who have crossed our borders illegally, and I agree with assessments that the 1986 amnesty program for illegal immigrants was a failure. It encouraged more illegal immigration because it was not paired with effective enforcement of immigration and hiring laws and because no effective mechanisms were put into place to recruit foreign workers when needed.


At the same time, proposals to indiscriminately deport the millions of undocumented workers currently in the United States are simply unrealistic. During a hearing before my Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee last July, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff testified that locating and deporting just the first 10 percent of the illegal worker population would cost approximately $9 billion. I see no reason to be limited to choosing between a blanket amnesty program and a mass deportation. Our goal should be to find creative solutions to make our immigration laws and our employment needs work well together.


I am hopeful that the 110th Congress will give a high priority to solving the illegal immigration problem. Thank you again for contacting me, and please continue to stay in touch on issues of concern.




Sincerely,


DAVID PRICE

Member of Congress
They'll be no changing this amnesty supporters mind.