Immigration

Immigration is an issue that has been talked about much by candidates, the media and the public. It is an issue that strikes at the heart of most americans. Our concern with the current immigration situation is the same as most people; how do we stop illegal immigration and remove the incentives for illegals to keep coming back?

We believe that illegal immigration must be stopped, amnesty in any form must be rejected, and our legal immigration system must be reformed to allow educated, skilled, law abiding foreigners to work and study in America. We cannot afford to let illegal immigrants ignore our immigration laws and realize benefits that legal immigrants wait patiently for. Part of living the American dream is playing by the rules. Furthermore, the wave of illegal immigrants has placed pressure on our education and health care systems, and the illegal immigrants take jobs from American workers.

The candidates running for president have differing opinions on how to deal with the illegal immigration problem we face. Most of the candidates have said they are in favor of building a fence along the Mexican border, although the democrats in congress have recently taken measures to eliminate funding for the fence. Many of the candidates appear reluctant to take a strong position on the issue since they see the latino community as part of their voter base. John McCain has taken a lot of heat, mostly from his own party, for his immigration proposal that was characterized as an amnesty bill.

Others, including Mike Huckabee, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and Barack Obama, are in favor of President Bush's immigration proposal that would provide a legal path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants. Mitt Romney has called for a strict illegal immigration solution to secure the border, creat a new employer verification system, improve interior enforcement, and reject any form of amnesty. Rudy Giuliani has proposed a plan that is essentially a combination of President Bush's plan and that of Mitt Romney's.

One thing that can't get lost in the illegal immigration debate is the threats made by many of the candidates and other special interest groups to business owners. Many blame business owners for hiring illegal aliens and providing them with financial means to stay in America illegally. However, the vast majority of business owners abide by the law requiring proper documentation to hire a worker, including Form W-4 and the I-9. Business owners must not be held accountable for fraud enforcement.