Immigration

Congress needs reform our immigration system. The first step is to secure our borders. Funding is a simple place to start. We must adequately fund the agencies responsible for protecting our borders. Congress must also provide enough funding for the agencies that process the paperwork of people seeking to enter our country to determine who should and should not be here.

I t feels wrong to reward illegal behavior with citizenship, but it is impossible to calculate the burden on law enforcement to round up 12 million illegal immigrants when our Immigration and Customs agents don't even have the resources to deport more than 600,000 incarcerated illegal felons. We should deport immigrants convicted of crimes. Others who have worked hard, paid taxes, learned English and obeyed the law should have some way to become citizens - but they should have to earn it. At the same time we must provide employers with new, reliable tools to check the status of workers, force employers to verify their status, and punish those who knowingly hire illegal immigrants.