Issues
Immigration
Dr. Paul Gosar: "I strongly believe we need to immediately secure our border and oppose amnesty for anyone who blatantly violates our law."
Endorsed by Sheriffs Joe Arpaio, Paul Babeu and Joe Richards.
The Federal Government has completely failed its constitutional, legal and moral duty to secure our borders. The people of the State of Arizona have paid the price for Washington, D.C.'s callous disregard for our laws. The Obama Administration, assisted by the far left, such as Nancy Pelosi and Ann Kirkpatrick, believe that "open borders" should apply to the United States, even though no other country in the world has an open border. Because of President Obama's recalcitrance and Ann Kirkpatrick's obstructionism, the State of Arizona had to take action, which included the passage of Senate Bill 1070. One commentator, Byron York, posited: "Has anyone actually read the law? Contrary to the talk, it is a reasonable, limited, carefully-crafted measure designed to help law enforcement deal with a serious problem in Arizona. Its authors anticipated criticism and went to great lengths to make sure it is constitutional and will hold up in court. It is the criticism of the law that is over the top, not the law itself." (Read the article here).
I believe that we have to support our law enforcement officials who have a sworn duty to uphold our immigration laws. If you do not agree with current immigration laws don’t blame those who enforce them. Legal immigration helped define the character of our country. However, we need to examine current policies and clearly define acceptable means of obtaining citizenship.
I have called on Congress to get serious about true immigration reform and finally pass H.R. 1868 (Birthright Citizenship Act of 2009). Introduced in 2009 by Rep. Nathan Deal (GA-9), the legislation is similar to legislation drafted and championed by our own Congressman Bob Stump for many years. It would limit citizenship to children born to parents who are (1) a U.S. citizens or nationals; (2) a lawful permanent resident alien whose residence is in the United States; or (3) an alien performing active service in the U.S. Armed Forces. Currently there are 103 cosponsors of the bill including two AZ representatives, Trent Franks and John Shadegg. (Click Here to learn more about H.R. 1868)
We need to welcome everyone who applies to immigrate here lawfully. But we can no longer turn our backs on Arizona and allow illegal drug smugglers, human traffickers, criminals and murderers, sex trade operators, and others to cross our borders illegally, burden our schools and our jails and our hospitals, and expect the people of Arizona to continue paying the price.
We are a nation of immigrants but more importantly we are a nation of laws. We need to start immigration reform by enforcing our current laws. At the same time measures of deploying soldiers to the border, building the double barrier fence and ending catch and release must be implemented immediately.
In Congress, I will fight to finally get us back on track.
