News for the Ninth

We are a nation of immigrants. We welcome those who come to our country to work hard and become part of the American fabric that has, in the past century, helped make us the most powerful nation in the world. But those who come to this country illegally are putting such a strain on our resources that we cannot possibly maintain this course with spending and debt at historic levels. That is why so many people who contact my office daily remain concerned about the federal government’s failure to prevent our country from becoming a nation of illegal immigrants.

We should also not be in the habit in this country of rewarding those who commit the crime of entering our country illegally. We are a nation of laws and we have a legal process in place for accepting immigrants into our country.

It is also my firm belief that we should never, ever accept a program that grants amnesty to illegal immigrants. Not only does it denigrate our legal immigration system, it also encourages even more illegal immigration. There’s a general consensus out there each time I return to Missouri that people are frustrated that this government is not doing what needs to be done on illegal immigration, which not only is continuing to grow, but is costing you more and more of your hard-earned tax dollars.

While America is a nation of immigrants, we are also a nation of laws. That’s why I will always support securing our border and always oppose amnesty for those who are here illegally. I support the following legislation that addresses the critical issue of immigration.

* H. Res. 1026 – The Bipartisan Reform of Immigration through Defining Good Enforcement (“BRIDGE”) Resolution, introduced by Representatives Frank Kratovil (D-MD) and Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), expresses that Congress should reject amnesty, secure the borders, and make verification of an employee’s legal status mandatory.

* H.R. 997 – English Language Unity Act of 2009, introduced by Representative Steve King (R-IA), would make English the official language of the United States. This legislation would also require citizens to be able to read and understand generally the English language text of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the laws of the United States made in pursuance of the Constitution.

* H.R. 2305 – The Security and Fairness Enhancement for America (SAFE) Act of 2009, introduced by Representative Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), would eliminate the visa lottery program, which rewards 50,000 annual green cards based on “random selection” instead of humanitarian need, family connection, or other economic or cultural value to the United States.

* H.R. 3308 – The Secure America Through Verification and Enforcement (SAVE) Act of 2009, introduced by Representative Heath Shuler (D-NC), offers a 3-part plan to drastically reduce illegal
immigration: a strict emphasis on border security, the verification of an employee’s legal status, and increased enforcement of existing laws.

* H.R. 3676 – Improving Methods to Promote Regular Occurrences of the Verification of Employability Status Act of 2009, introduced by Representative Paul Broun (R-GA), would amend the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to make the E-Verify Program permanent. This bill would also revise confirmation provisions and add provisions respecting fraudulent documentation and sanctions.

At the end of the day, if we are serious about illegal immigration, we must secure our borders and provide our border patrol and other agencies with the resources, manpower and money they need to do that. We must put the onus on the federal government to get its act together and enforce
the law rather than fight states like Arizona. The time for action is now.

CONTACT US: As always, for those of you with Internet access, I encourage you to visit my website http://luetkemeyer.house.gov/ . For those without access to the Internet, I encourage you to call my offices in Columbia (573-886-8929), Washington, Mo. (636-239-2276), or Hannibal
(573-231-1012) with your questions and concerns. If you want even greater access to what I am working on, please visit my YouTube site http://www.youtube.com/user/BLuetkemeyer and my Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/people/Blaine-Luetkemeyer/1358702716.