Immigration response from Barack Obama
Senator Barack Obama’s office responded to the statement I submitted concerning the recent Immigration bill being bandied about, and the shear disgust I feel towards it. Please see my previous post Immigration, a message to my elected officials. Here’s the response I received, after the jump:
Dear Shawn:
Thank you for contacting me about the current immigration reform debate in the Senate. I appreciate having the benefit of your perspective on this important issue.
Unchecked unauthorized immigration unquestionably is having significant adverse effects on American workers and on some of our communities’ health and education infrastructure. The challenge facing President Bush and Congress is how to stop the flow of immigrants coming illegally across our borders and deal with those who are already living and working in this country illegally.
The Senate is currently considering immigration reform legislation authored by Senators Kennedy (D-MA) and Kyl (R-AZ) and supported by President Bush. This bill would tighten border security, increase enforcement against employers who hire illegal workers, establish a process by which undocumented workers and their families who may have entered the United States illegally but are now contributing and responsible members of society can earn citizenship after paying fines and learning English, and create a temporary program for foreign workers who must return to their homeland after a specified period of time.
The Senate is expected to debate the Kennedy/Kyl immigration reform bill through early June. Many amendments to the bill will be considered, and the underlying legislation could change dramatically. I will be following these deliberations closely.
The most controversial elements of the Kennedy/Kyl bill is its path to citizenship and the new point system it proposes for future immigration. I understand the strong feeling within Illinois that undocumented immigrants should not be rewarded for flouting U.S. law. And I appreciate that many Americans feel we should just seal our borders and deport undocumented workers currently living in the country. However, it is significant that the Department of Homeland Security recognizes that identifying and deporting 12 million undocumented workers currently working in this country would be both difficult logistically and disruptive to the American economy. Further, I am concerned with the proposed change under a new points system to reduce the emphasis we place on uniting families in our immigration system.
I agree with President Bush who said: “Some in this country argue that the solution is to deport every illegal immigrant, and that any proposal short of this amounts to amnesty. I disagree. It is neither wise, nor realistic to round up millions of people, many with deep roots in the United States, and send them across the border. There is a rational middle ground between granting an automatic path to citizenship for every illegal immigrant, and a program of mass deportation. That middle ground recognizes there are differences between an illegal immigrant who crossed the border recently, and someone who has worked here for many years, and has a home, a family, and an otherwise clean record.”
Again, thank you for contacting me. You may be assured that I have heard your views on this issue.
Sincerely,
Barack Obama
United States Senator
