Immigration

Building bigger fences or providing larger gates of access will not create workable and reasonable immigration standards. Our current immigration issues are the result of over 60 years of failed and inconsistent policy. For too long the gates of access were kept open and now they are difficult to close.

Immigrants know that life in America includes competitive working wages, free public education for their children, and a long list of free social service programs. They are able to use these programs tax-free and many times the money received is funneled to the immigrants’ country of origin rather than into the American economy.

As with any complicated problem, the solution does not come in one simple step. There are a number of steps that will point this nation toward economic recovery and safety for our citizens.

Public Assistance Programs

The first step is to eliminate access to public assistance programs. The Center for Immigration Studies estimates “illegal households created a net fiscal deficit at the federal level of more than $10 billion in 2002.” That deficit has increased drastically in the past eight years.  In this first step, non-citizens will no longer receive free services such as Medicaid, food stamps, housing costs, job training and placement, or monthly living expenses. Implementation of this policy will provide great relief to our economy, and will cause immigrants who are living in the U.S. illegally to self-deport by returning to their countries of origin, or to seek citizenship.

Enforcement of Constitution

Arizona has taken the right steps to enforce the standards established by the federal government that they don’t enforce themselves.

While most of the country cannot appreciate the burden of being a border state, to a majority of residents in Texas it is clear that we need to adopt a similar law. If our federal government is unwilling or incapable of doing what it was created to do, protecting our life, liberty, and property, then our states must.

Anchor Babies

The offspring born to illegal immigrants in America should be considered illegal as well. What is commonly referred to as “Anchor Babies” is costing the American taxpayer an estimated 6 billion dollars a year. In 2008, John Reiniers wrote, “In Parkland Memorial Hospital Dallas, the second busiest maternity ward in the United States, 70% of the women giving birth were illegal aliens.” 

I propose a new Constitutional Amendment that says: “All persons born to at least one parent who is a citizen of the United States, who is in any foreign country or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”

The new Amendment would void the ability of immigrants, both legal and illegal, to lawfully maintain an economically draining lifestyle on United States soil. Their children would be citizens to the country from which their parent(s) originate.

Work Visas                                                         

The number of work visas available to immigrants who do not wish to become citizens and are solely in the U.S. to work, should be increased. These visas are intended to give non-violent immigrants the opportunity to work. These immigrants should not advocate violence or cause a drain on the American economy.

Amnesty

Amnesty is not a solution to the problem. “Sanctuary Cities” have shown to be a failure. The cities are going bankrupt and crime has increased. According to the Center for Immigration Studies, “If illegal aliens were given amnesty and began to pay taxes and use services like households headed by legal immigrants with the same education levels, the estimated annual net fiscal deficit would increase from $2,700 per household to nearly $7,700, for a total net cost of $29 billion.”