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Illegal immigration has been a serious problem in our country for years. In 2003, only 11 businesses in the entire United States were fined for hiring undocumented workers. I am hopeful that the recent, politically-motivated, urgency surrounding this issue will result in good policy. We must remember we are talking about human beings; economic refugees trying to improve their lives and the lives of their children. We must secure our borders and stop illegal immigration, and we must not let Republicans make a wedge issue of people’s lives. I support
Securing our Borders — We need more Federal border patrol agents trained and paid for the specific job of securing our borders. This is a difficult and trying job, and those who do it must be paid accordingly. It is not proper to use military resources. I was trained to be a fighter in the military. I was not trained to enforce laws. The President’s plan calls for 108,000 soldiers to have all their training time on the border. We cannot risk having an untrained National Guard.
Reduce the Demand for Illegal Workers — We can reduce demand by vigorously enforcing the laws against hiring undocumented workers and by raising the federal minimum wage.
- We must increase the fine to employers who willingly hire undocumented workers, and we must enforce this law. We cannot selectively enforce our laws. As a small businessman and farmer, I am damaged by employers who exploit undocumented workers.
- We must understand, undocumented workers do not do the jobs American don’t want to do, they do the jobs Americans cannot afford to do. No American can even think about supporting a family on a minimum wage job. When we raise the minimum wage in our country to a real living wage, then all jobs will be viable for American citizens.
- Deal With Illegal Workers Already Here — Undocumented workers have broken the law. They must be identified. However, deporting 11 million immigrants is neither practical nor economical. Illegal workers should be fined, required to comply with our tax laws for at least five years, and learn English. Then, and only then, they will begin the path to citizenship.
 Download a .PDF version of this policy paper.
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