Immigration
America is a land of opportunity and a country that has always been comprised of immigrants searching for the promise of the American Dream. But just as we are a nation of immigrants, America is also a nation of laws and those laws must be obeyed and enforced in order to maintain our social compact with one another as citizens of these United States. Therefore it must be a top priority for our nation to secure our borders and stop the flood of illegal immigration.
Border Security
Our nation has many brave men and women who are working tirelessly to protect our borders. Their fight against illegal immigration is complex and ever-changing. To provide better enforcement, our border agents need access to innovative equipment and technology. They also need special instruction and training to do the important job of keeping our borders secure. For these reasons, I have supported legislation that better equips, trains, and funds our border agent programs.
Operation Fast and Furious put guns in the hands of dangerous cartel members operating along the border. This irresponsible program put every law enforcement official along the border in danger and led to the death of one brave Border Patrol agent, Agent Brian Terry. I am working with my colleagues to make sure we learn everything we can about this failed operation, and to hold accountable those officials who put Fast and Furious in place.
Immigration Reform
In America, we make it too difficult for those who want to come here legally, and too easy for those who come here in violation of our immigration laws. The process for foreign citizens with valuable skills and no criminal history is cumbersome, even for foreign citizens educated in the United States. We must thoroughly screen those coming to live in America, but we cannot let red tape slow the process to the point that people would rather bypass a legal entry because it is faster and easier to come here illegally.
E-Verify
I support protecting businesses and American workers using verification systems that instantly check the legality of a worker's status. While some states have instituted these systems, this is a national problem that needs to be addressed in every state. I believe that employers need to be given the best tools to check eligibility for their employees quickly, accurately, and efficiently. Verification programs are an important tool to prevent illegal immigrants from taking jobs from those who have the legal right to work in the U.S. Tough penalties need to be enforced on employers who knowingly hire illegal workers.