by Rep. Virginia Foxx Special to the Post
The Jefferson Post
During the decade I served as a member of the North Carolina Senate and during my first year in the United States Congress, I have found that few issues are as important or represent as many problems as illegal immigration. I regularly voice my concerns to the House Leadership, the White House, and to all my colleagues in Congress because I feel strongly that our broken immigration process must be fixed immediately. It seems we will finally be considering additional meaningful immigration reform in the coming weeks, and I will continue advocating for the strongest, broadest policy possible.
When you think about it, there truly is no issue more important to our nation than the safety and security of our people and the preservation of the American way of life - - and border security is the starting point for ensuring that security. If we do not keep Americans safe at home, then the dozens of other issues we debate in Congress simply will not matter.
The terrorist attacks on our homeland highlighted the potential disastrous effects of porous borders and the need to bolster border security, but the problem of illegal immigration also has additional far-reaching dangerous effects. Ultimately it punishes all who follow the laws of the United States. Immigration affects virtually every aspect of life in America. With millions of legal and illegal immigrants settling in the United States each year - a level higher than any other time during our nation’s history - illegal immigration has a major negative impact on education, health care, social security, taxes, employment, wages, the environment, crime and countless other areas of American life.
It is important to point out that I sympathize with those who desperately wish to live the American dream here, on American soil. I understand their desire for liberty, free markets, property rights and guaranteed freedoms. The demand for access to America is a resounding testament to the greatness of our Nation. America is indeed a nation of immigrants, but we are also a nation of laws. Immigration laws exist to provide the necessary steps for safe and legal entry into this country.
Illegal immigration must be stopped, but we cannot and should not close our doors to those who wish to enter the country legally. We must increase our efforts to achieve closed borders with open, guarded doors. We have an immigration process in place that simply must be followed. It also must be strictly enforced.
Since being sworn in as a Member of the House in January, I have encouraged my colleagues to continue fighting illegal immigration in our great country in any way possible. I was pleased and honored that the first bill we passed in this 109th Congress will make great strides toward securing our borders by enacting the recommendations of the 9-11 Commission with the passage of the REAL-ID Act. That bill, now public law, established rigorous, uniform identification credential standards for increased security.
The bill was a great first step, however much more still can and must be done. Expedited removal of illegal immigrants enhanced and increased border patrol and stiff penalties for employers and businesses that employ illegal immigrants are all necessary to secure our borders and successfully combat illegal immigration. Our border control and law enforcement agents should be empowered to crack down on immigration and protect our borders.
Illegal immigration is a multi-faceted problem that will require a multi-faceted solution. Our local law enforcement officials have joined me in raising the concern that we must abandon our unfortunate current policy of “catch and release” for a strong, effective policy of “catch and remove.” We must do all we can to establish and enforce a thorough and rigorous system for deterring, obtaining and deporting illegal immigrants. Those who knowingly employ illegal immigrants should be punished – severely. I do not support amnesty for those workers already in our country, and do not support bringing in additional immigrant workers.
This issue simply can not be taken seriously enough. I will make every effort to see that immigration reforms are enacted promptly, and will advocate that the reforms we do make are strict and not watereddown. Immigration reform is paramount to our national security and as your Representative in Congress I will fight to enact a strong, broad, effective policy to end illegal immigration and keep America safe.
