Issue Position: Immigration

Issue Position

Becoming an American citizen is a privilege, not a right, and the proper way to do so is a long and difficult process. You learn English, study America's history and customs, and then earn your place, as I did almost 20 years ago.

Today we have almost 12 million people here illegally. It's a problem we have to face. But the politicians won't step up, they won't lead.

My fundamental principle is wide doors and high fences. You can not have a door without a fence. Immigration is good for this country but it has to be legal immigration. I always apply a two pronged test when it comes to immigration, any new law must not encourage future illegal immigration and it must be in our economic self-interest.

The first step in any immigration reform effort is to secure our borders. Ronald Reagan said that a nation that can't control its borders soon ceases to be a nation. For years we have heard the promises but it never happens. No wonder so many of us do not trust this administration, and Congress in general, including our own Suzan DelBene, to do what is clearly in their power. And we will never get to work fixing the problem while so many Americans watch nothing being done. So President Obama and Ms. DelBene, stop stalling and get it done.

Immigration reform must also be in America's economic interest. When Microsoft builds a facility just north of the Canadian border to house hundred of high tech jobs rather than here in the United States, because they can't get enough visas for those very productive workers, we have a problem. President Obama and Congress could fix that, but they don't. It's a failure of leadership, and costs our country greatly. We're supposed to be smarter than that.

As to the those already here, we can argue about what to do with them, and we will, but not until the American people have some confidence that our government takes our nation's security seriously rather than having the politicians play games with the issue. We don't have the resources to track down and deport 12 million people. And we certainly can't reward illegal activity with a short cut to citizenship. So the long term solution is going to be hard to get to.

But we can't even start the debate until our elected officials lead on border security. And their proposed solution of citizenship now, with secure borders to follow, is not acceptable. Period.

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