Post by admin on Nov 6, 2006 22:15:47 GMT -5
I assume that due to the fact that I have written Candidate Kean in the past, I recieved the following email
Dear Friends,
Throughout the course of my campaign I have heard from thousands of New Jersey citizens, like you, who wanted me to know just how important true immigration reform was to them. I’m writing you again today to let you know that I need your vote on Tuesday so I can go to Washington and fight for a meaningful immigration policy, one that will work to protect our national and economic security.
Legal immigration is important for the future of our nation and we must encourage it. However, illegal migration that is left uncontrolled and unchecked threatens our national and economic security.
We learned many lessons on September 11, 2001 about tragedy and about heroism. We learned about the need for our government to be more diligent, both at home and abroad in order to keep our nation safe. To that end, illegal migration is first and foremost a national security issue.
Securing our borders must be our first priority. Last year, it was estimated that as many as 300,000 illegal migrants entered our nation. Most were those looking for a better life, but among them were criminals and terrorists. Drug cartels and smugglers of human and contraband cargo have developed clandestine infrastructure and adapted to the terrain to cross our border. In his July 2006 testimony before a House subcommittee, Sheriff Sigifredo Gonzales of Zapata County, Texas, stated, “If smugglers can bring in tons of marihuana and cocaine at one time, and can smuggle 20-30 persons at one time, one can just imagine how easy it would be to bring 2-3 terrorists or their weapons of mass destruction across the river and not be detected.”
Bob Menendez has had fourteen years to address this issue and has failed the people of New Jersey every step of the way.
Bob Menendez voted against hiring 10,000 to 20,000 new border agents; voted to cut reimbursement to states for incarcerating illegal migrants; voted at least five times against a security fence across the U.S.-Mexico Border; voted against tightening driver’s license and identity card standards; voted against enhancing sentences for illegal aliens convicted of a violent or drug trafficking crime; and voted against the 2005 legislation to enhance border security.
That’s a dangerous voting record.
In the United States Senate, I will support comprehensive border security which increases the number of border agents and provides them with the resources they need, establishes appropriate fencing and barriers, makes better use of technology, and has adequate facilities to detain those who are caught illegally entering our country.
It is incumbent upon our nation to stop the flow of illegal aliens to ensure the safety and security of our nation before we pursue further reforms to our immigration policies.
While we are a nation of immigrants, we are also a nation of laws. Unlike my opponent, I oppose any proposal that provides amnesty to those who have broken our laws and entered our nation illegally. There are millions of hard working immigrants who have been waiting for years to legally become citizens of our nation. It is unfair to them and to all those who have legally come before them to reward illegal behavior with any amnesty program.
Removing the millions of illegal migrants who currently reside in our nation is not a simple process. However, through law enforcement, economic restrictions and comprehensive reform of our immigration policies, over time and with secure borders, we can reduce the level of illegal residents within our nation.
We must target the criminal element within our nation by providing law enforcement with the tools necessary to identify and detain illegal migrants who have committed a crime.
We must reduce the economic magnet that is working to create a shadow economy by placing tough penalties on businesses that knowingly hire illegal migrants. To assist employers, government must provide rapid verification tools and access to legal temporary workers. Once we have accomplished this, employers should be penalized if they continue to hire undocumented workers.
With a reformed legal immigration process we can ensure a pool of workers for the specialized services that they provide. If service sector employers do not have unlimited access to cheap illegal labor, they will have to increase wages and benefits to entice American workers to take these jobs. This will allow Americans in lower wage jobs to earn their fair share of the increasing prosperity in this country.
Finally, we must revisit and reform immigration policy concerning those who are here illegally due to special circumstances, including familial relationships. For those who are currently in the United States illegally we must enact a program that allows the majority of undocumented individuals to register and remain in the U.S. temporarily, before requiring them to return home. At that time, those individuals would be allowed to apply for re-entry through legal means.
The goal is not to seal our borders, but to secure them and require people to enter our country legally.
America welcomes legal immigration, but we must uphold the law. The result of the bill passed by the Senate would mean that individuals who came to this country illegally will now be considered legal workers and on their way to American citizenship. Millions of law abiding applicants wait in their home countries for years for the opportunity to come to America, and this legislation dishonors those who have come to our country the right way. We will never solve the problem of illegal migration by rewarding those who break our laws.
Sincerely,
Tom Kean, Jr.
Dear Friends,
Throughout the course of my campaign I have heard from thousands of New Jersey citizens, like you, who wanted me to know just how important true immigration reform was to them. I’m writing you again today to let you know that I need your vote on Tuesday so I can go to Washington and fight for a meaningful immigration policy, one that will work to protect our national and economic security.
Legal immigration is important for the future of our nation and we must encourage it. However, illegal migration that is left uncontrolled and unchecked threatens our national and economic security.
We learned many lessons on September 11, 2001 about tragedy and about heroism. We learned about the need for our government to be more diligent, both at home and abroad in order to keep our nation safe. To that end, illegal migration is first and foremost a national security issue.
Securing our borders must be our first priority. Last year, it was estimated that as many as 300,000 illegal migrants entered our nation. Most were those looking for a better life, but among them were criminals and terrorists. Drug cartels and smugglers of human and contraband cargo have developed clandestine infrastructure and adapted to the terrain to cross our border. In his July 2006 testimony before a House subcommittee, Sheriff Sigifredo Gonzales of Zapata County, Texas, stated, “If smugglers can bring in tons of marihuana and cocaine at one time, and can smuggle 20-30 persons at one time, one can just imagine how easy it would be to bring 2-3 terrorists or their weapons of mass destruction across the river and not be detected.”
Bob Menendez has had fourteen years to address this issue and has failed the people of New Jersey every step of the way.
Bob Menendez voted against hiring 10,000 to 20,000 new border agents; voted to cut reimbursement to states for incarcerating illegal migrants; voted at least five times against a security fence across the U.S.-Mexico Border; voted against tightening driver’s license and identity card standards; voted against enhancing sentences for illegal aliens convicted of a violent or drug trafficking crime; and voted against the 2005 legislation to enhance border security.
That’s a dangerous voting record.
In the United States Senate, I will support comprehensive border security which increases the number of border agents and provides them with the resources they need, establishes appropriate fencing and barriers, makes better use of technology, and has adequate facilities to detain those who are caught illegally entering our country.
It is incumbent upon our nation to stop the flow of illegal aliens to ensure the safety and security of our nation before we pursue further reforms to our immigration policies.
While we are a nation of immigrants, we are also a nation of laws. Unlike my opponent, I oppose any proposal that provides amnesty to those who have broken our laws and entered our nation illegally. There are millions of hard working immigrants who have been waiting for years to legally become citizens of our nation. It is unfair to them and to all those who have legally come before them to reward illegal behavior with any amnesty program.
Removing the millions of illegal migrants who currently reside in our nation is not a simple process. However, through law enforcement, economic restrictions and comprehensive reform of our immigration policies, over time and with secure borders, we can reduce the level of illegal residents within our nation.
We must target the criminal element within our nation by providing law enforcement with the tools necessary to identify and detain illegal migrants who have committed a crime.
We must reduce the economic magnet that is working to create a shadow economy by placing tough penalties on businesses that knowingly hire illegal migrants. To assist employers, government must provide rapid verification tools and access to legal temporary workers. Once we have accomplished this, employers should be penalized if they continue to hire undocumented workers.
With a reformed legal immigration process we can ensure a pool of workers for the specialized services that they provide. If service sector employers do not have unlimited access to cheap illegal labor, they will have to increase wages and benefits to entice American workers to take these jobs. This will allow Americans in lower wage jobs to earn their fair share of the increasing prosperity in this country.
Finally, we must revisit and reform immigration policy concerning those who are here illegally due to special circumstances, including familial relationships. For those who are currently in the United States illegally we must enact a program that allows the majority of undocumented individuals to register and remain in the U.S. temporarily, before requiring them to return home. At that time, those individuals would be allowed to apply for re-entry through legal means.
The goal is not to seal our borders, but to secure them and require people to enter our country legally.
America welcomes legal immigration, but we must uphold the law. The result of the bill passed by the Senate would mean that individuals who came to this country illegally will now be considered legal workers and on their way to American citizenship. Millions of law abiding applicants wait in their home countries for years for the opportunity to come to America, and this legislation dishonors those who have come to our country the right way. We will never solve the problem of illegal migration by rewarding those who break our laws.
Sincerely,
Tom Kean, Jr.