5 Questions to Ask Your Member of Congress on Immigration



5 Questions to Ask Your Member of Congress on Immigration

“During the August congressional recess, a pro-amnesty coalition of business and union interests is putting the squeeze on members of the House of Representatives to pass a “comprehensive immigration reform” bill similar to the Senate-passed monstrosity. But hard-working Americans also have a voice and can speak up in town halls with House members while they’re in the districts. Here are five questions to remind them of the wisdom and importance of taking a step-by-step approach to immigration reform,” notes the Heritage Foundation blog.

White House Pushes Cheap Labor Study

“In its ongoing efforts to push for immigration reform, the White House has released a report on the economic benefits of reform to the agriculture industry and to rural areas. ‘Currently, the agriculture industry is hampered by a broken immigration system that fails to support a predictable and stable workforce,’ the 20-page report warns,” the Minneapolis Star Tribune writes.

“A U.S. Department of Agriculture report found that 71 percent of crop workers surveyed between 2007 and 2009 were foreign-born and many lack the immigration status needed to work legally in the United States.”

DHS Grants Temporary Asylum to Protesters Who Crossed into U.S. Illegally

“The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) made an unusual move by granting temporary asylum to several Mexican immigrants, including a handful of those who are illegally in the United States, after they crossed the border in a pro-amnesty protest in late July,” Breitbart News reports.

“‘The Homeland Security Department tentatively approved asylum requests for seven Mexican immigrants, including some who were living in the United States illegally but left and attempted to re-enter as part of a protest against U.S. deportation policies,’ the Associated Press’ Alicia Caldwell reported on Tuesday. ‘The preliminary approval is highly unusual because it is rare for the U.S. government to grant asylum to Mexican citizens.'”

Astroturf Rallies in Support of Amnesty

“After covering Tuesday’s immigration reform rally on the steps of Los Angeles City Hall, I’m convinced that the proponents of immigration reform don’t want to persuade American voters to support their agenda. They want to bully them into submission.
What other conclusion can be drawn from the warnings that opponents ‘will be branded’ as bigots unless they comply; the ‘demand, not request’ that Republicans represent those who support ‘comprehensive’ reform and ignore the rest of their constituents; the constant ‘¡Si, se puede!’ chants?” says Joel B. Pollak at Brietbart News.

“For most of the rally, there were more journalists than demonstrators on the steps of City Hall–and most of those activists who showed up were union members carrying ready-made signs. This is an Astroturfed, Democrat-and-media-driven campaign, not one responding to the actual desires of American voters.”

About Author

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Dan is the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)'s President after joining the organization in 1982. He has testified more than 50 times before Congress, and been cited in the media as "America's best-known immigration reformer." Dan has appeared on virtually every significant TV and radio news/talk program in America and, in addition to being a contributing editor to ImmigrationReform.com, has contributed commentaries to a vast number of print media outlets.

20 Comments

  1. avatar

    I want a Hot Dog not a Taco.I want a Hamburger not an Eggroll. Its not just Mexicans, Lets not forget about all the Asians.

  2. avatar

    and we need more population in the USA because??? Oh yeah we have a shortage of STEM workers too so we need more H1-B visa workers too ?? I guess that’s why my genius nephew with a phD in bio-physics from an Ivy League college needed a good six months to find a job ! There was a tech company I used to respect that brought in a bunch of scientific programmers from India and paid them poor wages and worked them six days a week and put them up in a six floor walk-up. I heard they showed the operation as “truck maintenance” on their books. Yeah big biz needs more high tech workers! Yeah, as long as they can bring them in from overseas and pay them on the cheap!
    We need to take anything the US Chamber says with a few boxes of salt !
    Re: Vicente Fox’s statement that his people “do the jobs that no one else will do” . I’m a senior citizen and I mow my own lawn. Lou Dobbs said that he used to pick crops when he was younger. I shoveled out half the block when I was 9-12 years old.
    I have zero use for the “gang of 8”, Cantor, Paul Ryan, etc. Bernie Sanders used to be an independent but I see he’s thrown unemployed US workers “under the bus” .
    To those who claim immigrants will be a boon to the economy , I refer them to the Heritage Foundation study that says “comprehensive immigration reform” will cost approximately six trillion $.

  3. avatar
    NotThatStupidYet on

    It is not the immigration system that is broken, it is Washigton. My wife immigrated here legally, it can be done. Our government treated us like I was a second class citizen, I had to sign a paper saying that I was totally finacially responsible for my wife and could collect no federal benefits for her behalf for a period of 3 or 5 years after she arrived. Now our government wants to open the treasury to those that are breaking our laws. I think I was being generous when I paid my taxes and their children got a free education. I am voting against anyone who votes for any kind of amnesty period.It is another set of lies from a group that see fit to exempt themselves in the laws they pass for us.

  4. avatar

    this is bull s— what don,t our government know about illegal immigrants why do they call it illegal if i brake the law they want to send me to jail when illegal immigrants come here they want to give them my job they want to give them food stamps housing welfare free hospital care but me they don,t really care if i lose everything and get kick,t out in the streets this has turned into a communist country where our government will do what they want not what the people want or need

  5. avatar

    Wow! You folks have sure drunk the Kool-Aid. Number 1, this is not amnesty; it’s about as far from it as it can get.13 years, 10 of them in purgatory, pay all back taxes, learn English, and don’t forget the fines. Number 2, Cynthia, are you trying to tell me that the corporations of America have not dumped billions into Mexico? In fact, Mexico is building its middle class while multinational corporations continue to bleed our treasury, and screw our middle class into poverty. Number 3, we certainly have a high opinion of ourselves and our xenophobic hatred of immigrants. Don’t you think these folks would rather go home after the growing and harvesting season? But if they do, they have to break back into the country next year. Set up a system of legitimate and traceable guest workers and watch how fast they leave this hate-filled dream scape. Number 4, illegals contribute more tax money into this system than they will ever get back. Ever wonder where those social security dollars go using those fake IDs? Number 5, the folks that have had the guts to come here for a better life are exactly the people we should be welcoming. They are not here to sit on their asses and take our piss ant benefits. Number 6, California is not only not broke, it currently has an embarrassment of riches…catch up Leland. And number 7, Rob, you poor soul, every legitimate study that has been done shows passing immigration reform will be the single biggest boon for the American economy in our immediate future. Please, do your homework before voicing an misinformed opinion.

    • avatar

      How much is the government paying you to be a sock puppet? To others on this site: ignore this paid troll’s comments. It’s a government ploy to talk you down & to add to the page so that others with your view are relegated to the next page of comments. These are not all real people’s views. in fact, many are computer generated to appear as people. Our government has evolved into a syfi world. You have 2 choices. Get used to it or get rid of it.

    • avatar

      Illegals don’t pay taxes and they get tons of benefits that legal citizens will never ever get!! Come here for a better life?? Many come here for all the benefits that our government gives them!!! It’s a freeloader’s paradise!!! Once they’re used to having everything provided for them why would they want to work??? There is complete fraud in the whole food stamp system. Why isn’t the government checking into these fraudulent schemes? Lots of these are perpetrated by illegal aliens, too. I was born and have lived my whole life here. I worked from the time I was 17 until 43 before I became disabled. I only get $810/mo. to live on and $28/mo. in food stamps! I live under the poverty level and I always will thanks to the U.S. government. If the government weren’t giving away all that money to the illegal aliens I would have a little bit better life. I didn’t ask to become disabled!!! If the government checked into all the fraudulent schemes in food stamps, including those by illegal aliens, I, as a diabetic, would be able to get more food stamps and live healthier!!!

      Thanks you for letting me speak my mind.

    • avatar

      Talk about drinking the kool-aid—-The title is not amnesty but it might as well be.
      #1–10 years living with the benefits of being here. Continuing with the job that one true legal citizen could have. Causing the wusinesses to pay below normal wages only reduces the wages citizens can get to do the job. The pay they recieve will be sent back to their home towns and their families there. That will not be recirculated within the community. It amounts to such a large amount it is one of the highest rated GDP items in Mexico’s budget. Doesn’t do a damn thing to help the US economy. But, it sure helps Mexico ‘build it’s middle class’!

      Pay ll back taxes—just how much do you think they earn? They do not earn enough to have to pay taxes. If anything they are given subsides because of the low amount they earn. Another drain on the citizens money.

      Learn English—they have been requiring bilingual teacher assistance in California schools since before 1965. They still require them—why? Because the children continue to be taught Spanish at home and/or they constantly use that excuse to be given additional help both at schools and in dealing with the environment they live in.Add to that the fact that they continue to violate our laws and continue to sneak into the country. Not only do they arrive that way, they also overstay their visas. Just how many do you think are born here and become ‘anchor babies for their parents? Many more than you might think. This, in case you weren’t aware of it was enacted because of the children of slaves not being given citizenship after the emacipation. Wonder why the isinterpretation of the intent? I once took an illegal to small claims court–while making their presentation to the judge the judge asked the defendant a question in English. He answered it and then was told by the judge ‘Why do you need a representative when you know English and can speak it?’ Additionally, I never did get reimbursement for the damage to my car since he had no insurance. And, when garnishment was issued at his site of employment he simply left the job and went somewhere else. Another examply—ask a law enforcement officer how may times the individuals have no identification and deny knowing English because they know the difficulty non-communication makes it when being stopped/questioned about an incident.

      Fines—those will be forgiven ‘by executive order 6 months after the law is passed. That goes for the ‘learning english too. ‘ As far as the increase of border patrol agents—–those numbers are only ‘supposed to be available in the future.’ Bet the administration issues either and ‘executive order’ or the senate fails to fund the increase. Another pipe dream. They already have shown they will only enforce the laws they agree with. A good example of that is the failure to implement the part of the 1986 law that deals with deportation. They’ve kinda changed the rules on that too haven’t they J-W! Now they attack those that are trying to uphold the laws as written and taking them to court or failing to pickup and deport those that the enforcers do detain. Another fine example of this administrations disregard for the law.

      So you think that the taxes paid to SS are greater than the cost of educating their children and supplying the bilingual and standard teachers and the classrooms and buildings to house these children, paying for their emergency ward & birthing visits, feeding their children at schools because their income is so low and continuing to feed them even when schools are not in session. Just how many do you think are paid ‘under the table’ for the day labors they provide. Those jobs would have to be taxed and the earnings tax paid to SS plus the medical benefits might have to be paid if the worker was a citizen. But of course, this happens all the time anyway doesn’t it J-W. Yup, those guys on the street corners all get the same pay and benefits that a citizen would. Dream on J-W!

      Those that do sneak across the border to earn money for their families do have alot of bckbone. They are truly trying to help their families. The problem is they are hurting the families of citizens! They are hurting the lifestyles of everyone in a community where that money is earned because it is sent out of the country, not recirculated to the restaurants, auto repair shops & retail stores of all types. It is sent out to help the other countries business’.

      So J-W, I guess I would suggest that you check the facts that you seem to think hold you above anyone else. Your head is in the clouds and you really need to get down to earth. Legal immigration that is controlled and immigrants that we truly have a need for will help our economy. However, the low wage earners you seem to be supporting really aren’t going to do one damn thing except keep the wages low, increase the costs to the middle class taxpayer and will only increase the number of uneducated persons. One other item, numbers and studies can be shaped to reflect almost any viewpoint one wishes to support. Look at the end results and not the smoke and mirrors being set forth as real honest legitimate studies. You are truly on of the more misinformed persons.

    • avatar
      John Winthropp on

      WELL SAID!!! bit those who do understand you are already obsolete in this Society…….

  6. avatar

    I will not vote for a candidate that
    #1 votes for Amnesty in any form & does not agree to seal the BORDER
    #2Votes for any form of Obamacare
    #3 Votes pro-abortion
    #4 votes for limited speech & Press
    #5 Keeps GOD out of the fore front !!
    #6Does not take his/her oath seriously– constitution & Bill of RIGHTS

  7. avatar

    How insane this whole immigrant plan is! What happened to our law that says that you have to wait in line to become a citizan? The whole plan is just to get votes for the Democrats! Can’t they see how many more immigrants will be running to be citizans – or is this what they want? The United States will soon be THE NEW MEXICO!

  8. avatar
    cynthia curran on

    True, the left and the right with business interest never support developing Mexico.

    • avatar

      Since when is it the responsibility of American citizens or business owners to develop Mexico?

      • avatar
        John Winthropp on

        That does not exist Bubba……at the end it is a personal interest which hopefully still keep our country together
        in the millenniums to come…..

  9. avatar

    The whole problem with the proposed “fix” for agricultural workers is that it just creates more problems than it solves. If those who are here illegally now are granted legal status, they will then LEAVE that industry to go to easier, higher paying jobs. And the proposed “guest worker” program is just more of the same Orwellian language that proponents of “reform” love to spout. Because, what do guests do? They leave, they go home. Under these proposals, they would get permanent residency cards after a couple years and the whole cycle starts again. They leave for better jobs and more ag workers are admitted.

    Not to mention, when they become permanent residents, they will then bring their families here. So once again, we have low skilled, low wage workers with large families who will need all kinds of government assistance. The LAST thing we need. Once again, it’s cheap labor for business and the taxpayers pick up all the social costs. How stupid do we have to be to keep repeating this same scenario. The fact that California has the highest percentage of illegals in the country and is also dead broke is no coincidence.

    • avatar

      California Solved its Budget Crisis

      It just slashed all is government services well into the bone.

      We’re all gonna be living in banrupt Detroits due to overpopulation…..very soon at a theater near you too.

    • avatar

      This is one of the major issues with amnesty. It will just promote more illegal immigration, not to mention all the relatives that they will bring over once they get amnesty. It sickens me to see how quickly and how completely these clowns on both sides of the isle are willing to sell American Workers and Taxpayers out. I have not thought much of the “Tea Party,” but if they put up a candidate that will fight this garbage they will get my vote!!

    • avatar
      Barbara O'Leary on

      I am wondering if the farm work is paid a legal fee or if they pay them a much smaller salary. I can not get a real answer on this. I understand that a lot of them live right on the farm with terrible living quarters. Can you give me some input on this?