Issue Position: Immigration

Issue Position

Values

According to the Department of Homeland Security, there are a total of nearly 11 million illegal immigrants residing in the United States. Allowing illegal immigrants to come into the United States and work here is unfair to law-abiding legal immigrants, undermines our national security, and encourages more illegal immigration.

One of our top priorities should be defending America's borders and enforcing our laws, not accommodating those who break them. We must start by identifying and combating the constant flow of illegal immigrants into our country.

Our immigration system is broken. I am aware of the impact illegal immigrants can have on our nation's economy and workforce. Federal law mandates that employers must only hire individuals who are eligible to legally work in the United States.

Actions

Supports the use of the E-Verify system. Federal law mandates that employers must only hire individuals who are eligible to legally work in the United States. The E-Verify system "compares information from an employee's Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to data from U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration records to confirm employment eligibility."

Opposes the Senate's Gang of Eight proposal. The Senate's Gang of Eight released the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act (S. 744) on April 16, 2013. S. 744 passed the Senate by a vote of 68 - 32 on June 27, 2013. Included in the bill's 1198 pages are a roughly 13 year pathway to citizenship for most people living in the United States illegally, cuts to the number of available family visas, repeal of the diversity visa programs, new guest worker visas for lower-skilled temporary workers and agricultural workers, enhanced high-skilled temporary worker programs, increased funding to hire border patrol agents, and strengthening the southern border fence.

Source