Issue Position: Protecting our Borders

Issue Position

Issue Position: Protecting our Borders

Congressman Murtha believes we have to do more to secure our nation's borders, both to protect our national security as well as to prevent illegal immigration.

He's opposed efforts at blanket amnesty for illegal aliens. He thinks the focus should be on putting the funding in the budget to do the job of protecting our borders and our national security, which is why he's supported increased funding for border security in order to increase the number of border patrol agents and the resources they need to do their job; and on giving employers the tools to identify unlawful immigrants among potential employees.

In this Congress, Murtha joined with several House Colleagues to introduce an important measure to help combat illegal immigration: the Secure America with Verification and Enforcement (SAVE) Act.

The SAVE Act will help to strengthen the border to keep illegal aliens from entering our country by adding 8,000 Border Patrol agents and by authorizing new technology and infrastructure. The bill also expands the E-Verify program, which will help employers ensure the eligibility of their workers and will protect employees from identity fraud. It will also help existing laws by increasing the investigative abilities of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and by helping to foster better relationships between ICE and state and local law enforcement agencies.

Congressman Murtha feels that throughout our country's rich history up to the present day, many immigrants have made and still make a very constructive impact on our society, as did many of our parents and grandparents. However, he remains concerned about the economic and national security impact that illegal immigration could have on our country and is committed to finding serious, practical and economically viable solutions to securing our nation's borders.

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