Where I Stand

HOW DO WE TURN IMMIGRATION TO OUR ADVANTAGE?

Tennesseans are fed up with the flood of illegal immigrants into our state and our workforce. It's costing us jobs, and it's costing us taxes.

But who is listening?

Under President Bush, enforcement of immigration laws is down by 25 percent. You're as likely to be eaten by an alligator as to be prosecuted for hiring illegal labor. And the number of illegal immigrants has DOUBLED during the Bush/Alexander years.

Are they in the pockets of employers who are getting away with paying dirt-cheap wages and cheating Americans out of decent-paying jobs? Turning a blind eye to employers who hire those here illegally needs to STOP.

That's why I am supportive of legislation, currently making its way through Congress, that will require employers in the United States eventually to use an E-Verify electronic employment eligibility verification system to help assure that every worker employed in the U.S. is legal.

Tennesseans thought help was on the way as a bipartisan immigration reform bill made its way through the last Congress - only to see it stymied by Republican infighting.

In the next Congress, I'll help get reform back on track - reform that fixes the broken the pathway to LEGAL citizenship and gets serious about the lawbreaking that's been allowed to go on unchecked. And I'll demand that any reform meet stiff standards:

  • It must get TOUGH at the border. I am not a great believer in fences. Instead, we must pursue a smarter, high-tech approach to patrolling our borders.
  • It has to be FAIR to taxpayers. Any reform must assure that immigrants working here are paying their share of taxes and that employers are playing by the rules and carrying their share of the tax load, too.
  • It's got to be PRACTICAL. There is no realistic, affordable way to send 12 million illegal immigrants back. But we cannot offer blanket amnesty to those here illegally. Unlike Senator Alexander, I will not be wishy-washy on the aspect of amnesty.

Stand with me, and I will not only listen to your frustration, I will work - without giving up - to see that real reform wrestles the immigration problem to the ground.

POINTS FOR TENNESSEANS TO THINK ABOUT:

  • During the Bush/Alexander years, enforcement of immigration laws has slowed to a crawl. The number of illegal immigrants in the U.S. doubled. And you are as likely to get eaten by an alligator as to be prosecuted for hiring illegal workers.
  • Tennesseans are tired of footing the bill and tired of seeing jobs slip away.
  • Republican infighting blocked a bipartisan plan that offered to fix the broken pathway to legal citizenship. They allowed the lawbreaking to continue unabated.
  • I will work to get reform back on track - as long as it is FAIR to taxpayers, TOUGH on border enforcement and PRACTICAL in its scope.
  • I will continue the effort to get a full-time immigration judge assigned to Nashville.

I Want to Hear from You!