Senator Graham's Response to Mike's America Immigration Concerns

Senator Graham responded below to my April 12th letter concerning the fantasy of illegal immigrant assimilation.

April 26, 2006

Dear Michael:

Thank you for taking the time to contact me with your concerns regarding guestworker programs and amnesty for illegal immigrants. I appreciate the opportunity to hear from you.

I believe the first issue to address in immigration reform is border security. Without strong physical border security no reform will be successful in stopping the flood of illegal crossings. The porous nature of our border does not just pose immigration problems, but national security ones as well. I believe that we need to make greater investments in the technology used to control our borders. By increasing the use of resources such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), manned aerial assets,
Remote Video Surveillance camera systems, and next-generation detection technologies, we will be better equipped to secure the perimeters of the United States.

In order to mend our broken immigration system, I supported the Senate compromise bill. I believe that this proposal provides the essential framework for a problem that has been neglected for too long, and was disappointed when the agreement fell apart due to the obstruction of Democratic leadership. This proposal includes provisions to double the size of the Border Patrol by adding 12,000 new agents, adding 5,000 investigators to enhance Interior enforcement, and increasing DHS resources for transporting aliens. This proposal also contains plans to create a "virtual fence," construct new roads and vehicle barriers, provide additional border fences at vulnerable spots, and establish new highway checkpoints. If passed, this bill will also set new criminal penalties for actions related to tunnels, evading immigration officers, or engaging in financial transactions related to money laundering and smuggling of immigration documents.

I have also supported legislation aimed at comprehensively addressing the legacy of decades of weak border enforcement. We currently have between 10 and 12 million undocumented immigrants living in the country and working for businesses that cannot find the laborers they need. Since our current system provides so few legal channels for foreign workers, it all but guarantees laws will be broken and forces entire industries to operate in the shadows. We must address the practical nature of the problem and provide a realistic approach to dealing with the current illegal population in our country.

The legislation I support would be a plea bargain with the immigrants who broke the law. Under the terms of this plea they would be put on probation for 11 years. During this time the immigrants would have to under go two background checks, pay $2,000 in fines, remain employed, pay all back taxes, learn English, take civics classes, and stay out of trouble with the law. Failure to meet these probationary requirements would result in deportation. I believe this process not only punishes those who broke the law in a fair manner, but also ensures that employers who can't find willing American workers will be able to hire the workers they need to keep our economy going strong.

Enforcing current immigration law, enhancing border security, and improving identification standards are important parts of ensuring the integrity of our country's laws and economy. Resolving these concerns and others will take a bipartisan effort in Congress, and I am committed to working with my fellow Senators to ensure that we protect our national security.

Again, thank you for contacting me. If I may ever be of assistance to you or your family, please do not hesitate to call on me.

Sincerely,

Lindsey 0. Graham
United States Senator

Still, no mention of what will happen if all the above conditions are not met by the illegals who fail to comply with this amnesty by another name.