Issue Position: Illegal Immigration

Issue Position

I believe politicians who address the problem of illegal immigration only by deferring responsibility to the federal government, are failing their citizens. As governor, I will work to equip our state and local officials with all available tools to combat illegal immigration.

The federal government has failed in its duty to enforce the nation's immigration laws; and, as a result, Alabama, and other states across the country, face the burden of dealing with illegal immigrants and a variety of other costly issues. I strongly believe that when the federal government fails to act on problems that put our state and citizens at risk, or when it over-reaches and intrudes inappropriately into our lives, it becomes the governors' responsibility to serve as the first line of defense for their states.

To that end, Alabama must implement the enforcement resources needed to protect our citizens by enforcing our existing laws and by enacting new laws necessary for resolving the direct and indirect problems that arise as a result of illegal immigration, the increasingly dangerous presence of Mexican drug cartels in our state and the scourge of human trafficking. Failure to take responsibility for these problems will exact a high price on Alabama, not only in a financial sense, but also in terms of devastating human and social costs.

As chancellor of Alabama's two-year college system, I exemplified my willingness to take action within my power to combat this problem by requiring admissions applicants seeking a college diploma, college credit or certain certifications to provide valid picture identification prior to enrollment. While it seems like a simple and obvious requirement, this practice had not been standard procedure, so there was no way to know for certain whether our students were in the United States legally. We enacted the policy change because it simply makes no sense to spend taxpayers' money to educate those who won't later be able to obtain legal employment.

Likewise, as your governor, I could not in good conscience wait for Washington to act. Recognizing that businesses, academic institutions and organizations can assist in these efforts but are not equipped and should not be called upon to act as law enforcement, I will work to equip our state and local officials with the tools and resources they need to effectively enforce our immigration laws. I will also work closely with the members of Alabama's House and Senate Congressional Delegations to urge their help and support when policies related to illegal immigration are debated in Washington.

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