December 10th, 2010
McIntyre: We shouldn’t reward illegal immigration
by Gareth McGrath

U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre, D-N.C., earlier this week voted against the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act.

The proposed legislation, which did pass the House and is now to be considered by the Senate, would provide illegal immigrants who came here as children and who graduate from high school the opportunity to earn conditional permanent residency if they complete two years in the military or two years at a four year institution of higher learning.

McIntyre released the following statement Friday morning:

“The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that there are over 10 million illegal aliens within our borders, and 6.7 million of them have arrived in the last 10 years. Our current immigration system cannot handle the ever-growing demands placed upon it. Illegal immigrants drain resources and opportunities for citizens and legal residents.

“This week I voted against the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act which grants legal status to the children of illegal immigrants.

“The bill does nothing to help secure our border and fix the broken immigration system which has allowed millions of illegal aliens into our country. Instead of making unauthorized alien students eligible for in-state tuition or legal status, the Federal government should focus on securing our borders and not granting residency and citizenship to people here illegally. Furthermore, granting taxpayer subsidized benefits to unauthorized alien students and a path to citizenship for those here illegally is a bad deal for taxpayers and punishes people who follow the law and immigrate through the legal process.
“I am committed to protecting our borders and am an original co-sponsor of H.R. 4088, the Secure America with Verification and Enforcement (SAVE) Act. The SAVE Act is a 3-point plan to significantly reduce illegal immigration. Specifically, the bill addresses border security by increasing manpower, technology, and infrastructure needs on our northern and southern borders. The bill also protects American workers, legal foreign workers, and law-abiding businesses from the unfair competition created by a massive illegal workforce. Finally, the SAVE Act provides the tools, resources, and infrastructure necessary to enforce existing immigration laws and penalize offenders.

“I will continue to strongly support efforts to discourage illegal immigration into the United States and improve our border control.â€