I just received this email from my Congressman who I had contacted about the pending immigration legislation pending in Congress. Although I'm sure it's boilerplate, I'm always impressed by his thorough replies to me. I don't think he would mind if I reprint it here. --- Thank you for contacting me regarding S. 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act. I appreciate hearing from you on this important matter. As you may know, the "Gang of Eight," a bipartisan group of eight senators, who drafted S. 744, introduced their framework for comprehensive immigration reform on January 27, 2013. I am pleased that Members of Congress are taking action to address this important issue. I am also pleased the Senate proposal includes several provisions that are aimed at improving the enforcement of our current immigration laws. However, as I have said before, I have concerns that the Senate legislation fails to ensure the integrity of the legal immigration process. As violence continues to increase along the 2000 mile border the United States shares with Mexico, any immigration proposal must ensure that our borders are secure. As a member of the House Immigration Reform Caucus, I have been working with my colleagues to address the problems in our current national immigration policy. However, current border security policies have been unsuccessful. According to the American Community Survey, published by the U.S. Census Bureau, 70 percent of the immigrants living in Texas are here illegally. In addition to curbing the entry of illegal immigrants, we need to prevent drug cartels in Mexico from trafficking illegal drugs to the United States and to prevent them from trafficking back illegal firearms. Human trafficking, drug trafficking, kidnappings, and homicides are serious problems that cannot be ignored any longer. When Congress considers immigration and border security reform, my highest priority will be to ensure the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has the resources and capacity to prevent and deter illegal immigrants from entering the United States. Additionally, we need to ensure that employers are hiring those who are legal to work in the United States. Our policies must focus on improving employment verification and ending the availability of jobs for illegal immigrants. We have programs like e-verify in place, which make employment verification easy and efficient. Use of E-Verify is not mandatory, but I support making use of this program mandatory in order to ensure that Americans have the opportunity to compete for jobs in a struggling economy. Rewarding individuals who are in this country illegally is reckless and unfair, as it blocks opportunities for the 12 million American citizens â including legal immigrants â who are currently unemployed. Finally, we must ensure that individuals who have entered our country legally have an efficient and streamlined path to citizenship. Putting illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship is unfair to immigrants who followed the law and have been waiting to become citizens, and it compromises the value of U.S. citizenship for all Americans. Furthermore, rewarding those who enter this country illegally is not only reckless, but blocks opportunities for the 12 million American citizens who are currently unemployed and costs taxpayers more money. On June 27, 2013, the U.S. Senate passed S. 744 by a vote of 68 â 23, with Texas Senator John Cornyn and Ted Cruz both voting no on the bill. Now, the legislation comes to the U.S. House of Representatives, where House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R â Virginia) has already begun working on the House's version of immigration reform. While I am not a member of the House Judiciary Committee, you can be certain that I will keep your comments in mind when we discuss immigration policy in the U.S. House of Representatives. Again, thank you for taking the time to contact me. I appreciate having the opportunity to represent you in the U.S. House of Representatives. Sincerely, Michael C. Burgess, M.D. Member of Congress
We don't need immigration reform. We need secure borders and enforcement of existing immigration laws.