No Immigration Amnesty

This is the content of the letter on immigration reform that I have sent to my representatives in Congress and submitted as a Letter to the Editor to my local newspapers.

The President has made immigration reform one of the hallmark pieces of his new term agenda, and we've seen multiple new proposals presented this week. As you are gathering feedback from the people you represent, it is important to note that this is a topic about which people have very strong feelings.

There are approximately 1 million people here in the United States who have come to through legal channels but about 11 million who are here illegally.  The 1 million here legally have waited their turn, prepared the appropriate documentation, and are following the rules we have prescribed for those wishing to live and work here.  The 11 million here illegally have sneaked into the country through various dangerous and potentially costly mean while not having completed any paperwork, or checks of any kind.  Now most of these people are here to work in jobs that Americans will not perform or for wages that Americans will not accept, however some portion of them are costing the states and local communities in which they reside millions of dollars and security by participating in violent criminal activity, driving without licenses or insurance, or by utilizing government programs and services they haven't paid into.  Others may well include potential terrorists who wish to do us harm.

President Obama has proposed an immigration plan that includes amnesty for those illegal immigrants already here, which essentially means automatic citizenship.  What does that say to all the people who came to this country and played by the rules? Certainly not a level playing field.  The United States should not be providing amnesty in any form, including a special "path to citizenship". Rather than containing the flood across our borders, amnesty would be like opening the dam to all those contemplating coming to the US illegally in the future - don't worry, just come and you'll be taken care of - and would penalize the people who came here through the proper channels.  

Is it feasible to deport 11 million people?  Of course not, and multiple industries would be harmed by the loss of workers.  There is no way that the American people would be willing to pay for the significantly more expensive agricultural products that would result from raising wages high enough to make those seasonal jobs worthwhile to citizens.  We need those workers.  Let's create a Guest Worker program for which every person here illegally that wants to work would need to apply and register.  Let's restrict access to all federal, state, and local welfare benefits so as not to incentivize people to come here to take advantage of these programs.  Let's deport those we know have engaged in criminal activity.  And lastly, if those guest workers would like the opportunity to become citizens down the line after proving they are productive members of society, let's offer the opportunity to get in line and follow the same process as everyone else.