Washington, D.C.— Taking charge as a leader on Immigration Reform, Iowa Congressman Steve King authored the following letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge in response to his recent remarks regarding legalization of illegal aliens and amnesty.  The letter garnered 35 additional cosigners:

December 17, 2003

Secretary Tom Ridge

U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Washington, D.C. 20528

Dear Secretary Ridge,

We are gravely concerned about your remarks on December 9, 2003, regarding legalization of illegal aliens and amnesty.  We respectfully ask that you clarify and restate your position on these vital issues. 

 As Members of Congress, we strongly and unequivocally oppose mass amnesty for people who violate our immigration laws.

 Mere discussion of the possibility of amnesty encourages illegal immigration.  We must enforce the immigration laws currently on our books rather than dangle the prospect of citizenship in front of potential immigration lawbreakers.  We must increase immigration law enforcement, not only at borders but in the interior, making it more costly for lawbreakers to disregard our immigration laws.  The result would be similar to "broken windows" policing in New York City which not only reduced "minor" crimes, but also curbed serious crimes.  The same is true for immigration law. 

We must enforce existing immigration laws.  The law enforcement approach would reduce the migration of illegal aliens, reduce the ill-gotten net gain from illegal immigration, raise American wages, improve American working conditions, reduce the overall illegal population, and reduce the number of crimes committed by illegal aliens.  Once our immigration laws are consistently enforced, many illegal aliens will leave voluntarily, rather than face deportation.  A similar phenomenon was witnessed as a result of the NSEERS alien registration program.  When the government began to detain and deport people who were illegally in the United States, thousands more illegal aliens fled the country.

 Since 1986, Congress has passed seven amnesties for illegal aliens.  Clearly this is a short-term “fix” to a long-term problem.  Rewarding people who violate our immigration laws sends the wrong message, and encourages more illegal aliens to violate our borders and enter the United States illegally.  This influx places a strain on essential homeland security resources.  If an illegal alien is permitted to become a legal worker and obtain a green card by working in the United States for a certain period of time, this is sufficient enticement for millions upon millions more illegal aliens to flood this country.  We have learned the lesson of the IRCA in 1986.  At the time it was hoped that an amnesty would make it easier to enforce immigration laws by legalizing the illegal alien population.  However, the legalization of 3 million aliens backfired and the illegal alien population was quickly doubled in a decade-- and is estimated to have tripled it in less than a decade and a half.

 We are also concerned that a mass legalization would severely overburden the immigration bureaucracy.  It would strap the processing resources, lead to lengthy backlogs, and drain taxpayer resources.

 We are especially disturbed by the burden that would be imposed on taxpayers as a result of legalization. Americans will have to pay increased taxes as a consequence of the burden amnesty would place on our school systems, welfare and social service systems, roads and transportation systems, the sprawl and environmental degradation, the health care system, Medicaid, Social Security, and other programs. 

 It is unfair to reward people who break our immigrations laws with immigration status, while many potential immigrants outside the United States are waiting to be admitted to the United States lawfully.  If we allow the people who break the rules by entering the United States illegally to go to the front of the immigration line, it is a slap in the face to law-abiding immigrants. 

 Finally, we are concerned that amnesty by any name, be it earned amnesty or legalization, jeopardizes our national security.  Mahmud Abouhalima was granted amnesty in 1986 and was subsequently one of the terrorists that bombed the Trade Center in 1993. 

 We commend you for your commitment to protecting our homeland and hope you will carefully consider the impact of immigration policies on the war on terror. 

Sincerely,

Steve King
John Sullivan
Tom Tancredo
Chip Pickering
Mac Collins
J.D. Hayworth
C.L. “Butch” Otter
Lamar Smith
John Carter
Bob Goodlatte
Gresham Barrett
Elton Gallegly
Michael Burgess
John Boozman
Nathan Deal
Phil Gingrey
Dana Rohrabacher
Donald Manzullo
John Duncan
Walter Jones
Sam Graves
Kevin Brady
Scott Garrett
Wally Herger
Jeff Miller
Cliff Stearns
Randy Forbes
Virgil Goode
Marsha Blackburn
Gil Gutknecht
Roscoe Bartlett
Joe Wilson
Gary Miller
Jo Ann Davis
John Culberson
John Kline
 

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