Our country’s immigration system is in dire straits. It’s been described as “broken,” but in reality it has all but collapsed. Georgians see the disastrous effects of this firsthand. It has the seventh-highest illegal immigrant population in the country, an enormous strain on taxpayers and families.
Meanwhile, the Obama administration refuses to enforce existing law, has granted back-door amnesty to certain categories of illegal immigrants and has admitted it has no way to measure border security.
The Senate’s approach is a short-sighted mistake. Illegal immigration is one of the biggest crises facing our nation. Amnesty is not the solution. The Senate bill would legalize millions who have “jumped the line” and do nothing to stem the tide of illegal immigration.
It also includes provisions that would allow those previously deported to apply for re-entry. It almost entirely ignores interior enforcement. Interior enforcement includes identifying and removing individuals with expired visas. It’s estimated 40 percent of U.S. illegal immigrants are visa overstays. Without interior enforcement, there is absolutely no incentive for immigrants to follow the law and leave the country once their visas expire.
Most importantly, the bill fails to secure the border, the single most important element of addressing our illegal immigration problem. It would cede border enforcement to unaccountable bureaucrats and allow portions of the law to be written by unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats. This approach is similar to another “comprehensive” bill rushed through Congress — the Affordable Care Act.
We can’t afford to repeat the mistakes of Obamacare. We are witnessing fallout from lawmakers who rammed a massive bill through Congress. The Senate has taken the same pass-it-to-see-what’s-in-it tack with immigration.
We need real solutions to fix our nation’s immigration crisis. For example, verifying a potential employee’s legal status is essential to protecting American jobs. Georgia state law requires employers to use E-Verify to check the employment eligibility of new hires. I’ve introduced similar federal legislation.
Two of the most prevalent abuses of our current system include “chain migration” and “birth tourism.” Both must be eliminated. Under current law, “chain migration” allows one legal immigrant to serve as the basis for hundreds of extended family members. “Birth tourism” is the practice of traveling to the United States or other countries with birthright citizenship laws to have a baby.
I recently introduced the strongest border bill in Congress, the SMART Border Act. It requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to achieve operational control of the border within one year, and to hire 1,500 new Customs and Border Patrol agents if DHS fails to meet that goal.
We need a step-by-step approach to address this complex issue. Stakeholders and constituents deserve transparency and access to these proceedings. Lawmakers must be given ample time to carefully review each piece of legislation. Only in this manner will we truly reform our immigration system while protecting American workers, taxpayers and families.
U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey represents Georgia’s 11th Congressional District.
