The Official Statement of Duncan Hunter on the Amnesty Bill

The Official Statement of Duncan Hunter

Friday, May 18, 2007
Immigration News

HUNTER EXPRESSES “FIERCE DISAPPOINTMENT” OVER SENATE AMNESTY PROPOSAL

I vow to oppose this legislation supported by Senators Edward Kennedy and John McCain.It provides a vast new immigration benefit to millions of illegal aliens who have broken our laws to live in the United States.I opposed the 1986 amnesty act because of this same reason.It proved to be the draw that we predicted it would be.I am deeply disappointed to see history repeating itself.

This package will confirm to the world that the U.S. does not really mean what it says when it comes to immigration enforcement.As a result of the citizenship benefit included in this legislation, despite the fine print, we will see a stampede across our borders.

This vast new amnesty and expansive guest worker program will surely be ridden with fraud and abuse, and ultimately lead to millions of public-assistance-dependent immigrants.

The Senate’s decision to blatantly ignore the Secure Fence Act signed into law last year and only require construction of 370 miles of fence, as opposed to the 854 miles mandated by the law, is a dramatic failure of this legislation.The San Diego border fence has proven that fencing works.The time has come to quickly implement the Secure Fence Act, not retreat from its mandates.

I believe that this package will result in lower wages for America’s already-struggling families by encouraging the importation of cheap foreign labor rather than investing, developing and growing a domestic workforce that will sustain our economy far into the future.

Amnesty is not the answer.Border enforcement must be first and it must be comprehensive.To do otherwise is to repeat the mistakes of the past.This Senate bill is bad for Americans, bad for our workers, bad for law enforcement and, most importantly, bad for national security.I will fight it.Please join with me.