Issue Position: Immigration
Issue Position
America is a nation of immigrants, and there's a reason for that. America is and always has been the land of opportunity. We have prosperity. We have freedom. We have a stable and lawful society that people from all over the world want to become part of.
Unfortunately, our freedom and prosperity has also earned us enemies throughout the world that want to do us harm, and that's the real issue behind the idea of having carefully controlled immigration system. When there are entire nations and terrorist organizations that want to bring death and destruction to America, we need to be very careful in who we allow to enter our country.
We want new Americans. We want people from other countries to become part of our communities to contribute to the prosperity that we enjoy -- and they'll enjoy, as well. The bottom line is we need to be sure that the people we are letting in are properly screened and examined to ensure that they come here with lawful intentions. We need to close down the border and get back to an orderly legal immigration system in order to ensure a safe and prosperous future for America.
When Glenn gets to Congress, here are five specific things he'll fight for:
1. Securing the Border
Shutting down the border should be automatic, but in the past, even Republicans, including President George Bush, have lost their way and failed to follow through on their promises to do so. Glenn has the leadership and courage to hold Republicans accountable if they attempt to back off on promises. On closing the border itself, Glenn supports a fence, mobilizing the National Guard, and the use of modern technology to deter and catch those crossing the border illegally.
2. Addressing Children Born to Illegal Immigrants
A child born to an American family visiting Canada does not automatically become Canadian, yet here in America, we grant full citizenship to children born to people here illegally. This has led to the unfortunate situation in some areas of the country where dangerous, makeshift clinics exist solely to cater to illegal immigrants here just for the purpose of having children. A misinterpretation of the Constitution has led to this application of the law,[1] and there have been attempts in the past to address this issue, but they've all failed. Glenn has the experience to lead the charge to fix this issue when he gets to Washington.
3. Revamping Sponsorship Programs
The sponsorship program is a time-tested and proven way to ensure that the immigrants coming here legally will be productive members of society, but unfortunately it has fallen by the wayside because it can take up to a decade for some workers to "wait in line" to legally enter America.[2] This is part of what's caused the spike in illegal immigration and reforming and speeding up this program will bring more people back into the legal pathways to America.
4. Ending the Welfare Magnet
Like Wisconsin was in the 1980's and 90's, the United States is a welfare magnet for immigrants throughout the Western Hemisphere who don't want to work.[3] We've heard anecdotally that America's overly generous welfare benefits are being advertised south of the border, encouraging people to come to America, legally or illegally, to receive the "free benefits" that your tax dollars pay for. Glenn's fight to cut and reform welfare will also help stem the tide of illegal immigrants coming into America just for the overly generous benefits.
5. Enforce the Current Law -- No Amnesty
The bottom line with immigration is that we need to firmly enforce our current laws, but we really can't trust this current Administration to do so. President Obama's presidency has been marked by his utter disregard for the rule of law in every area of government, and immigration is no different. Glenn will fight to hold this and any future administration accountable to the law -- not to the political whims of the president or his partisan staff. Glenn will also adamantly oppose any attempts to give amnesty to illegal immigrants.
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