FAIR Opposes the Border Security and Immigration Reform Act
WASHINGTON, June 20, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following statement was issued by Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) in advance of tomorrow's vote on H.R. 6136, the Border Security and Immigration Reform Act ? amnesty legislation drafted by House Republicans.
"While campaigning in 2016, President Donald Trump and House Republicans energetically reinforced the concept that immigration policies ? levels, admission criteria, and enforcement ? must serve our national interests, not special interests. They promised to protect American jobs and wages, enhance security, and uphold the rule of law. And these things resonated with the American people, who in turn handed them sweeping majorities in Washington. Yet despite all that, Speaker Paul Ryan and his allies have proposed nothing short of an antiquated retread of past amnesties.
"The Border Security and Immigration Reform Act (BSIRA) does contain a partial list of true reforms widely embraced by the American people, including a border wall ? backed up by $25 billion in advanced appropriations ? elimination of the visa lottery, and the closing of dangerous loopholes that created the current border crisis.
"Upon examination, however, these positives are overshadowed by a massive amnesty and reforms that are either too flawed or missing entirely.
"First, BSIRA audaciously grants amnesty to 1.8 million illegal aliens ? 1.1 million more than anyone interested in addressing the status of DACA recipients ever imagined. By any definition, these numbers expose the bill as a massive amnesty vehicle, not a reasonable DACA compromise.
"Second, BSIRA does not address illegal aliens in the workplace by mandating nationwide E-Verify. It is simple: E-Verify is the single most successful tool to address illegal employment, which is widely recognized as the primary motivation for illegal immigration.
"Third, BSIRA does not end our failed system of extended chain migration. Replacing chain migration with a merit-based system would both lower the overall number of aliens accepted into the country each year, and ensure that those accepted are able to further the United States' cultural and economic priorities.
"Finally, and perhaps most important, BSIRA fails to guarantee that proper enforcement mechanisms will be in place prior to any form of legalization. The proper sequencing should be to first put reforms in place that assure the public they're not going to get the short end of the stick, yet again.
"What we are left with is an inadequate bill that ? while profoundly affecting the future of this nation ? was still cooked up behind closed doors, and rushed to the floor of the House. The American people deserve so much better."
Contact: Joe Gomez; 202-742-1843
ABOUT FAIR
Founded in 1979, FAIR is the country's largest immigration reform group. With more than 2 million members and supporters nationwide, FAIR fights for immigration policies that serve national interests, not special interests. FAIR believes that immigration reform must enhance national security, improve the economy, protect jobs, preserve our environment, and establish a rule of law that is recognized and enforced.
SOURCE FAIR
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