Issue Position: Immigration

Issue Position

Florida has a rich history of embracing immigrants. Our state's demographics reflect a strong Latino influence that has grown over the years. I myself am a proud first generation American who loves this country for the opportunities it has provided for me. Immigration is the issue that drew me into the presidential race, and it remains a major interest of mine as it relates to Florida.

We need comprehensive immigration reform. It isn't logical to suggest that we can deport 11 million immigrants any more than it is logical to suggest that we cannot deport the extremely small percentage who have committed felonies. Under present law, a generic "mass deportation" would take decades to accomplish and cost hundreds of billions of dollars. Beyond that, it is completely unsound and inconsistent with the principles upon which our Nation was founded.

Immigration reform must start from a different place. It is not an "Us versus Them" proposition. We need to begin to look at undocumented workers as assets rather than liabilities. If we accelerate economic expansion, we will need to increase our work force to accommodate the associated job growth.

The real issue is how to properly document those who wish to immigrate permanently and those who wish to reside here temporarily to gain an education or to do seasonal work to support their families and return then home. An intelligent and properly managed Temporary Visa program can help us address those issues. We simply need an experienced, rational voice in Congress to make the argument.

We can also secure our borders without abandoning the values upon which our Nation was built. The first step is to admit that our current system of immigration is broken. Then, we must create a more intelligent, effective and efficient way of welcoming immigrants to our borders and providing them with a clear path to citizenship.

Today, it costs a significant amount of money and takes a relatively long period of time to follow the path to citizenship. As a result, a percentage of people, who cannot afford either the time or the money, circumvent the system in an attempt to provide for their families. We need to fix those problems so that people can immigrate legally rather than be forced into the shadows.

Additionally, those who would deport children, who had no say in how they came to the country, apparently do not understand the fundamental tenet of our criminal justice system, which requires "intent" for a crime to have been committed (i.e., the intention or knowledge of wrongdoing). President Bush was on the right track with respect to "Dreamers." I would encourage us to continue on that path.

Immigrants are people. When we recognize that simple fact, we can begin to solve the problem.

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