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Senator Paul Explains His Position On Immigration

Posted by on June 26, 2013 in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

In an op-ed published in Politico today, Senator Rand Paul very clearly states why he is opposing the immigration reform bill. He says that the first priority should be to secure the border, and by granting amnesty to illegal immigrants and offering less work visas is just going to keep the ongoing problem of limiting work availability when the market demands more. Senator Paul wrote, “Of paramount concern is what to do with the 12 million people currently residing in the United States who are in legal limbo. No one is seriously contemplating they leave, but conservatives believe that normalizing their status should only follow serious efforts to secure the U.S.-Mexican border. And I’m sorry to say that the Gang of Eight’s proposal is just not serious.

Any immigration reform must expand legal immigration and the work visa program so that we don’t find another 12 million undocumented workers here a decade from now. The Gang of Eight bill actually decreases the number of visas for agricultural workers. Haven’t we seen this movie before? If work visas are less than what the market demands, the workers will come illegally — and we’re right back where we started.” Senator Paul introduced an amendment that was voted down which he called “Trust But Verify Act.”  This amendment would make immigration reform happen only if Congress wrote a strong border plan that they would vote on every year or five years. The plan would also mean the completion of a double-layered border fence, two new national security visa screening programs, and protection against the Obama administrations attempt to force Americans to carry a biometric national identification card. To read more, please visit http://www.politico.com/story/2013/06/why-im-voting-no-on-immigration-reform-93340.html?hp=f3