Hunter: No Amnesty

Press Release

In light of immigration reform legislation introduced today by Representative Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) that provides citizenship to millions of illegal immigrants, Congressman Duncan Hunter reaffirmed his opposition to any comprehensive reform effort that grants amnesty or fails to put border security first. On Wednesday, Congressman Hunter will be joined by a bipartisan group of lawmakers to introduce the BRIDGE resolution -- a legislative initiative that outlines several guiding principles for comprehensive immigration reform.

"At the same time our Southern land border is overrun with violence and other unlawful activity, there are some Democrats in Congress who want to compound the problems attributable to our porous borders and current immigration policies.

"The security threat and costs associated with illegal immigration are far too serious to ignore. The American people expect our borders to be secure and existing immigration laws to be consistently enforced throughout our communities and the workplace.

"Not only is the Gutierrez legislation weak on enforcement, failing to implement the necessary security elements at our borders or making workplace verification a priority, it grants amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants. This proposal misses the mark in every way possible."

Hunter and several other House lawmakers will introduce legislation that outlines three guiding principles on immigration reform:

* Make E-Verify mandatory for employers and hold employees accountable as well;
* Provide sufficient infrastructure and manpower to secure and control America's borders;
* Reject amnesty or any legal status that rewards those living in the U.S. illegally.

"We cannot allow the immigration reform debate to be dictated by misguided calls for amnesty and open borders," concluded Hunter.

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