Issue Position: Immigration

Issue Position

America has always been and should always be the "great melting pot" of the world. We are not weak because of our great diversity, but rather strengthened by it! Each and every citizen should be encouraged to hold in high regard the family heritage of their ancestors and to expose their children to the great family struggles that many of them endured in becoming Americans. In the late 1800's and early 1900's, thousands upon thousands of people fleeing the oppression of other world countries, came to America seeking the same individual freedoms and opportunities that had motivated the pilgrims hundred's of years earlier. However, our immigration policy has become ineffective and downright cruel. Because of the slow and lengthy process of our immigration program, people have begun to circumvent our immigration laws and flood into our country illegally. This is not acceptable and there are severe consequences to this action that will produce devastating results to our country's well being as we move forward. Some important points to consider on this subject.

First, is the issue of national security which is the most critical issue of the immigration debate. My father taught me while growing up that if your boat is leaking you plug the holes first and then start bailing. We simply must secure our borders. This is not negotiable if we truly want to make our country secure. I would and do support completing the fence along our southern border that has already been started. We should also consider the use of technology to assist in securing and monitoring our borders where physical fences are not feasible. Protection of its citizens is THE primary role of the federal government and in this area - I believe it has abdicated its responsibility.

Next, is a common language. America has always been an English speaking nation and I believe it should always remain so. With that end in mind, we should adopt "English" as the official language of the United States and require each new citizen to be fairly proficient in its use. This will make their new life as an American much easier as well as our society better able to serve them through government departments and the market when interaction is needed. Just in America's public education system alone there are millions and millions of dollars spent each and every year because of the many different languages our teachers and administrators must accommodate. This divides our nation and eliminates our efficiencies thus making us weak when we do not need to be.

Finally, on the issue of amnesty for those in our country illegally. Let me be clear that I oppose amnesty and do not believe that any guest worker program be an automatic path to citizenship or provide access to our social programs. America is a nation of laws and those laws must be followed in order to sustain a free and safe society.

My vision for our future is that we continue the rich heritage of being the worlds "melting pot". That we continue to stand for what the Statue of Liberty represents. But doing so in a way that there are consistent and common traits that all Americans possess and that among those are security, laws, language and a commitment to the United States Constitution.

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