Immigration

Republicans claim to care about immigration reform, but how does their rhetoric stack up against their record? Not well. In fact, the Bush Administration's record is worse, FAR worse on immigration law enforcement than the Clinton Administration's. For example, according to cnn.com on July 26,2006, the Clinton Administration imposed 5,587 fines against employers for hiring illegal workers during its eight years, an average of 698 per year. The Bush Administration, in its first term, imposed just 318 such fines, or an average of just less than 80 per year. And the Bush Administration got progressively less interested in enforcing these laws as well. In 2004 (which just happened to be an Election year), the Bush Administration imposed just THREE such fines all year.

Worksite arrests fell even more drastically. Under Bill Clinton, between 1995 and 1998 there were between 10,000 and 18,000 worker arrests each year. In 2004, the Bush Administration arrested a staggeringly low 159 workers.

Border apprehensions are something the Bush Administration claims as a great success. Again, the numbers don't support their claims. Under President Clinton, between 1996 and 2000, apprehensions along the border averaged 1.52 million per year. Under Bush, between 2001 and 2004, that average fell dramatically to just 1.05 million per year. So, despite the increased expenses of doubling the number of border patrol agents, the Republicans are actually doing over 30 percent worse today than when Bill Clinton was President.

Kenny Huolshof claims credit for voting for one of the most aggressive immigration reform bills in American history. But Congressman Hulshof and his fellow House Republicans voted for that bill knowing full well that it would never pass the Senate, making it little more than a political showboat. We need a House that will work with the Senate and pass a veto proof bill which secures our borders, provides a means of quickly and accurately determining an immigrant's status and then heavily fines any employer who hires an illegal worker.

Duane Burghard believes that we have several EXCELLENT immigration reform laws on the books already, but with a President completely unwilling to enforce the law (which is his Constitutional responsibility to do, and not just the ones he agrees with), there is little to no chance that ANY immigration reform bill today will make any substantive difference. Duane wants to Congress to demand that we enforce the laws we have now first, and then take what further measures are necessary.