Immigration

Illegal immigration is one of the biggest crises facing our nation and amnesty is not a sensible, nor legal, solution. It is paramount that we stop the flow of illegal immigrants into our communities by securing our borders and upholding our nation’s laws. While President Obama and his allies in Congress continue to evade our nation’s immigration laws, I am committed to upholding and strengthening them.

I am an ardent proponent for completing construction of our southern border fence, authorized by Congress in 2006. In order to stop the flow of illegal immigrants into our communities, we have to secure our border. I also believe that we must require employers to utilize the employment verification (E-Verify) program and prosecute employers who knowingly hire illegal workers. I sponsored the E-Verification Modernization Act, H.R. 693, because the verification of employment eligibility is essential to enforcing our immigration laws and protecting jobs for American workers.

Amnesty is unconstitutional, which is why I have authored and sponsored legislation that rejects amnesty and prevents similar actions. In 2011, I authored H.R. 692, the Nuclear Family Priority Act, which reduces the number of fiscal year family-sponsored immigrant entrants and establishes nonimmigrant visa category for an alien who is a parent of a U.S. citizen at least 21 years old. I am also a co-sponsor of H.R. 140, the Birthright Citizenship Act. H.R. 140 amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to consider a person born in the United States a citizen at birth only if one of the person's parents is a U.S. citizen or national, a lawful permanent resident alien whose residence is in the United States, or an alien performing active service in the U.S. Armed Forces.

In June of 2012, President Obama announced that his administration would halt deportation proceedings and grant work permits to certain categories of illegal immigrants. Under the new policy, in order to be eligible for deferred action, an illegal immigrant must meet certain criteria, including arriving in the United States prior to the age of 16, being under the age of 30, having continuously resided the in United States for at least 5 years prior to the date of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) memorandum, and being enrolled in or having completed high school. This change in policy essentially creates an administrative implementation of the DREAM Act.

Furthermore, in June, the Washington Times reported that DHS circulated an internal memo that gives Border Patrol agents discretion not to turn over illegal immigrants for prosecution. President Obama's back-door amnesty adds more than one million people to the U.S. labor market at a time when millions of Americans are underemployed or unemployed. In response, I co-sponsored H.R. 5953 and H.R. 5957. H.R. 5953, the Prohibiting Back-Door Amnesty Act, prohibits the Administration’s back-door amnesty initiatives by declaring that various DHS memos, including the DHS’s June 15 prosecutorial discretion memo, shall have no force or effect. It would also stop similar actions should the Administration propose them in the future. H.R. 5957 prohibits the Secretary of Homeland Security from granting deferred action or otherwise suspending the effectiveness or enforcement of immigration laws.

Millions of illegal immigrants are straining our school system, overcrowding our hospitals, and enrolling in social welfare programs. During these tough economic times, we must protect American taxpayers and their hard earned tax dollars. I will stand firm against any proposal that advocates amnesty and work to see its defeat. Rest assured, I will uphold our nation’s laws and work diligently to strengthen the integrity of our borders.