Stop Amnesty

Updated: Tue, August 5, 2014

On August 1, 2014, the House of Representatives approved H.R. 5272 introduced by Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) that would defund future executive amnesties issued by Pres. Obama and from granting work permits to illegal aliens. A large majority of House Republicans and a few Democrats voted to secure our border and end the executive amnesty known as DACA.

In September, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) motioned to bring the Blackburn bill to the Senate floor for a vote, but the motion was defeated 50-to-50. Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia sided with all 45 GOP Senators in supporting the Sessions motion. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid allowed 4 other Democratic Senators who face tough re-election bids to also vote in favor of the motion.

Pres. Obama has announced that he will expand his Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to an estimated 5-6 million illegal aliens after the mid-term elections. The DACA program granted amnesty and work permits to approximately 500,000 illegal aliens.

OCTOBER RECESS

Congress has formally adjourned for the weeks leading up to the November mid-term elections. See a comparison of all Congressional candidates on our Election Pages.

For the pre-midterm recess, we're asking all activists to pressure candidates to answer the following question:

WHO SHOULD GET THE NEXT JOB: AMERICANS AND LEGAL IMMIGRANTS ALREADY HERE, OR SOMEONE IN THE COUNTRY ILLEGALLY WHO WOULD BENEFIT FROM AN EXECUTIVE AMNESTY?

KEY POINTS:

The Washington Post editorial board opposes an expanded executive amnesty: "Congress is a mess. But that doesn't grant the president license to tear up the constitution." LINK.

USA Today editorial board opposes executive amnesty: "That's too dramatic a policy change to be undertaken without Congress' involvement. ... Not before the election. And not after it." LINK.

74% of Americans support Pres. Obama working with Congress and not acting alone on immigration. LINK.

EARLIER THIS YEAR

On January 30, 2014, the House GOP Leadership presented a set of immigration principles during the party's annual retreat. The principles are not legislation and are vague and ambiguous, but the leaders are hoping that the House can pass bills that accomplish the principles. The principles clearly state that S.744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, will not be brought to the floor for a vote. However, there are countless similarities between the principles and S.744, including the concept of enforcement triggers that would begin an amnesty for most of the 11 million individuals residing illegally in the United States.

GOP Standards for Immigration Reform

PREAMBLE
Our nation’s immigration system is broken and our laws are not being enforced. Washington’s failure to fix them is hurting our economy and jeopardizing our national security. The overriding purpose of our immigration system is to promote and further America’s national interests and that is not the case today. The serious problems in our immigration system must be solved, and we are committed to working in a bipartisan manner to solve them. But they cannot be solved with a single, massive piece of legislation that few have read and even fewer understand, and therefore, we will not go to a conference with the Senate’s immigration bill. The problems in our immigration system must be solved through a step-by-step, common-sense approach that starts with securing our country’s borders, enforcing our laws, and implementing robust enforcement measures. These are the principals guiding us in that effort.

Border Security and Interior Enforcement Must Come First
It is the fundamental duty of any government to secure its borders, and the United States is failing in this mission. We must secure our borders now and verify that they are secure. In addition, we must ensure now that when immigration reform is enacted, there will be a zero tolerance policy for those who cross the border illegally or overstay their visas in the future. Faced with a consistent pattern of administrations of both parties only selectively enforcing our nation’s immigration laws, we must enact reform that ensures that a President cannot unilaterally stop immigration enforcement.

Implement Entry-Exit Visa Tracking System
A fully functioning Entry-Exit system has been mandated by eight separate statutes over the last 17 years. At least three of these laws call for this system to be biometric, using technology to verify identity and prevent fraud. We must implement this system so we can identify and track down visitors who abuse our laws.

Employment Verification and Workplace Enforcement
In the 21st century it is unacceptable that the majority of employees have their work eligibility verified through a paper based system wrought with fraud. It is past time for this country to fully implement a workable electronic employment verification system.

Reforms to the Legal Immigration System
For far too long, the United States has emphasized extended family members and pure luck over employment-based immigration. This is inconsistent with nearly every other developed country. Every year thousands of foreign nationals pursue degrees at America’s colleges and universities, particularly in high skilled fields. Many of them want to use their expertise in U.S. industries that will spur economic growth and create jobs for Americans. When visas aren’t available, we end up exporting this labor and ingenuity to other countries. Visa and green card allocations need to reflect the needs of employers and the desire for these exceptional individuals to help grow our economy.

The goal of any temporary worker program should be to address the economic needs of the country and to strengthen our national security by allowing for realistic, enforceable, usable, legal paths for entry into the United States. Of particular concern are the needs of the agricultural industry, among others. It is imperative that these temporary workers are able to meet the economic needs of the country and do not displace or disadvantage American workers.

Youth
One of the great founding principles of our country was that children would not be punished for the mistakes of their parents. It is time to provide an opportunity for legal residence and citizenship for those who were brought to this country as children through no fault of their own, those who know no other place as home. For those who meet certain eligibility standards, and serve honorably in our military or attain a college degree, we will do just that.

Individuals Living Outside the Rule of Law
Our national and economic security depend on requiring people who are living and working here illegally to come forward and get right with the law. There will be no special path to citizenship for individuals who broke our nation’s immigration laws – that would be unfair to those immigrants who have played by the rules and harmful to promoting the rule of law. Rather, these persons could live legally and without fear in the U.S., but only if they were willing to admit their culpability, pass rigorous background checks, pay significant fines and back taxes, develop proficiency in English and American civics, and be able to support themselves and their families (without access to public benefits). Criminal aliens, gang members, and sex offenders and those who do not meet the above requirements will not be eligible for this program. Finally, none of this can happen before specific enforcement triggers have been implemented to fulfill our promise to the American people that from here on, our immigration laws will indeed be enforced.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ACTION

The House Judiciary Committee has already marked up and passed four bills. These bills would require the mandatory use of E-Verify by all businesses, increase interior enforcement efforts, increase the number of high-skilled worker visas, and restructure the current agriculture guest-worker program. The Homeland Security Committee has also marked up and passed a bill that would "increase" border security.

The question going forward is how the House will define a "step-by-step" process. Does a "step-by-step" approach mean the House will pass enforcement bills and hold off on anything that deals with the illegal-alien population or legal immigration increases until they see the enforcement provisions faithfully executed? Or, does a "step-by-step" approach mean passing a series of bills and then combining them into one comprehensive bill that's filled with "triggers" and resembles the Schumer-Rubio-Obama amnesty bill before shipping it off to the Senate? The "step-by-step" comprehensive approach was first introduced by House Speaker John Boehner's immigration staffer Becky Tallent when she served as Director of Immigration Policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center.

Here are the five bills already passed by House Committees: