I received the following email from my Congressional Representative:

Thank you for contacting me in opposition to President
Bush's immigration reform proposal. It was good to hear from
you, and I appreciate your taking the time to contact me.

I understand your concerns about this issue. As you know,
President Bush has proposed major changes in U.S. immigration
policy, particularly regarding illegal aliens. Under the proposal,
immigrants who are living in the United States illegally would be
able to apply for a visa to work in the country for up to six years
before being required to return to their home countries. They
would also be required to pay substantial fines and would not be
automatically eligible for permanent residency or U.S. citizenship.

I am anxious to see the details of the President's plan and to
carefully examine any legislation to evaluate its impact on North
Carolina. A job for every American who is willing to work must
come first, and North Carolina's economy is still hurting.
However, I think most North Carolinians would agree that our
immigration system is broken. The application process is long,
complex and costly, and our government does not adequately
enforce the laws that are already on the books. I am committed to
exploring all plans, including the President's, to reform the
immigration system and ensure fairness and justice for American
citizens as well as immigrants. You may be pleased to know that
last year I voted in favor of the 9/11 Recommendations
Implementation Act, which authorized an additional 10,000 border
patrol agents and 4,000 additional Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) officers. Unfortunately, President Bush has
proposed funding for only 210 additional border agents and 80 ICE
officers in his Fiscal Year 2006 budget request. Although I do not
serve on the committee of jurisdiction regarding this issue, you can
be sure that I will bear in mind the views you have expressed to me
as the House considers immigration reform legislation in the 109th
Congress.

I am working with our national leaders to support policies
that will defend our values, protect our children and our families,
put our people back to work and get our economy back on track. I
look forward to your continued input on these and other issues as I
do so.


Sincerely,

Bob Etheridge
Member of Congress

P.S. You may sign up for my email newsletter at
www.house.gov/etheridge.

Can anybody deciper this political doubletalk?