Resolution of the Oregon Republican Party Concerning Immigration and Border Security

WHEREAS, the Oregon Republican party recognizes and salutes the hard work, determination, dedication and contributions of legal immigrants to Oregon; and

WHEREAS, Section 9.16 of the Oregon Republican Party Platform clearly state, “We oppose amnesty or any path to citizenship for illegal aliens;” and

WHEREAS, U.S. Senate Bill 1348, the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007, despite rhetoric to the contrary, attempted to create yet another amnesty program, which is offensive to our American sense of fairness and disrespectful to legal immigrants; and

WHEREAS, even the status quo, which ignores existing laws, represents de facto amnesty for illegal aliens; and

WHEREAS, SB 1348 effectively would have places United States citizenship for sale, which is an outrage; and

WHEREAS, our existing immigration and border security laws, passed in 1986, are enforces in a random fashion or not even at all, and the existing 700-mile border fence authorization has not been implemented in good faith, which is a betrayal of our trust; and

WHEREAS, the rules of engagement for the Border Patrol and the National Guard prevent them from effectively doing their jobs, which is misguided political correctness; and

WHEREAS, the Federal Government must regain its credibility regarding border security and enforcement of immigration laws before addressing temporary work visas and other issues; and

WHEREAS, there is no national consensus on how to handle the millions of illegal aliens presently in the United States;

Believes the border security and immigration debates should be governed by the principles of national sovereignty, respect for the rule of law, fairness and common sense; and

Calls upon the Oregon Congressional Delegation to oppose the resurrection of SB 1348, or any equivalent bill, because it does not adhere to the above principles; and

Calls upon the federal government, to enforce existing immigration laws fully, such as the Secure Fence Act of 2006, H.R. 6061 signed into law by President Bush, and report progress to the American people regularly; and

Calls upon the Oregon Congressional Delegation, as its first priority, to pass and enforce a stand-alone border security bill, unencumbered by other aspects of the immigration debate, providing for, and funding, all necessary measures to protect our borders, including without limitation, the use of all appropriate technology, strong fences, sufficient personnel; and commonsense rules of engagement; and also take all possible steps to discourage states and cities from creating “sanctuary” zones; and

Calls upon the Oregon Congressional Delegation, as its second priority, to pass and enforce a voting rights bill, protecting United States citizen’s right to vote in elections without contamination by the votes of non-citizens; providing for strict enforcing of the Real ID Act; and requiring a 100% audit of voter registrations within five years; and

Calls upon the Oregon Congressional Delegation, as its third priority, to pass and enforce a stand-alone employment and services bill, unencumbered by other aspects of the immigration debate, providing for severe employer sanctions for hiring illegal aliens; implementation of a rapid employment eligibility system; creation of a fair, secure and efficient temporary work visa program (contingent on continuing strong border security); restrictions of interstate commerce, such banking, only to legal residents; termination of programs that encourage illegal immigration; and repeal of existing laws that block states from restricting services only to legal residents; and

Calls upon the Oregon Congressional Delegations, as its fourth priority, to attempt to reach a national consensus, not including a path to citizenship, regarding illegal aliens in the United States.

Senate Proposal is Full of Holes Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) has been a stalwart proponent of curbing illegal immigration and reforming the legal immigration apparatus in a truly meaningful manner. To that end, on June 4, in the middle of the first round of floor debate on the so-called Â“grand bargainÂ” immigration bill, Sen. Sessions issued a press releaselisting egregious loopholes in the proposal, including Â“flaws effecting border security, chain-migration and assimilation policies.Â” In prefacing the list, Sen. Sessions indicated that he is Â“deeply concerned about the numerous loopholesÂ found in this legislation,Â” which he sees as Â“more than technical errors, but rather symptoms of a fundamentally flawed piece of legislation that stands no chance of actually fixing our broken immigration system.Â” Furthermore, Sen. Sessions said, Â“Many of the loopholes are indicative of a desire not to have the system work.Â”

Flaw No. 1: Sen. Sessions pointed to perhaps the biggest flaw by noting that the Â“ Â‘enforcement triggerÂ’ fails to require the U.S. VISIT system Â– the biometric border check-in/check-out system established by Congress in 1996, but never implemented Â– to be fully functioning before new worker or amnesty programs begin. Without the system in place, the U.S. has no method of ensuring that workers and their families do not overstay their visas.Â”

Flaw No. 2: While most Americans tell pollsters they want less immigration, this bill dramatically increases overall immigration. It TRIPLES chain migration through the year 2016 Â– all the while sanctioning a mass importation of low-skill foreign workers and, by extension, a mass importation of poverty into this country.

Flaw No. 3: Illegal aliens get Â“legal status before enforcementÂ” begins;

Flaw No. 4: The Â“triggersÂ” require Â“no more agents, beds, or fencing than current lawÂ” mandates;

Flaw No. 5: The completion of background checks, including checks against criminal and terrorist databases, is Â“not required forÂ” the granting of amnesty (in this bill, it is referred to as Â“probationary statusÂ”);

Flaw No. 6: Criminals of all kinds Â– including gang members, some child molesters, and absconders (i.e., Â“aliens who have already had their day in court [and who are now] subject toÂ…removalÂ” [covering Â“more than 636,000 fugitivesÂ”]) are eligible for the billÂ’s mass amnesty;

Flaw No. 7: Â“Illegal aliens with terrorism connections are not barred from getting amnesty. An illegal alien seeking most immigration benefits must merely show Â‘good moral character.Â’Â”

Flaw No. 8: Illegal aliens granted amnesty or guestworkers imported via the new Â“YÂ” Â“temporary workerÂ” program can claim the Earned Income Tax Credit, which Â“will cost taxpayers billions in just 10 yearsÂ”;

Flaw No. 9: Â“Affidavits from friendsÂ” are acceptable as evidence of satisfying requirements for amnesty, thus Â“invit[ing] fraud and more illegal immigrationÂ”;

Flaw No. 10: Â“In-state tuition and other higher education benefitsÂ…will be made available to current illegal aliens that are granted [amnesty], even if the same instate tuition rates are not offered to all U.S. citizens,Â” a violation of current Federal law, which Â“mandates that educational institutions give citizens the same postsecondary education benefits they offer to illegal aliensÂ”;

Flaw No. 11: New visas are created for individuals who are prone to overstaying their period of authorized admission Â– namely, the new Â“parentÂ” visa, which allows parents of citizens, and the spouses and children of new temporary workers, to visit a worker in the United States. Not only is this term Â“a misnomer, but also an invitation for high rates of visa overstaysÂ” because it Â“specifically allows the spouse and children of new temporary workers who intend to abandon their residence in a foreign country, to qualify to come to the U.S. to Â‘visit.Â’Â” To obtain the visa, one must only post a $1,000 bond, Â“which will be forfeited when, not if, family members of new temporary workers decide to overstay their 30 day visit. Workers should travel to their home countries to visit their families, not the other way aroundÂ”;

Flaw No. 12: To be granted amnesty, illegal aliens need not pay back income taxes;

Flaw No. 13: Social Security credits for work done while in the United States illegally will be granted to Â“[a]liens who came to the U.S. on legal visas, but overstayed their visas and have been working in the U.S. for years, as well as illegal aliens who apply for Z visa status but do not qualifyÂ”; and

Flaw No. 14: Â“The criminal fines an illegal alien is required to pay to receive amnesty are less than the billÂ’s criminal fines for paperwork violations committed by U.S. citizens, and can be paid by installment,Â” which means that Â“the fine for illegally entering, using false documents to work, [is] one-tenth the fine for a paperwork violation committed by a government official.Â”

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.