My views on immigration are based around the core belief that our country was founded by immigrants who deserve respect for taking such a life changing course and risk with their lives.
As our country has evolved so have the waves of people that now come from all parts of the planet.
I support legal immigration. One of biggest problems in my view is visa violations where people fly here legally then not only overstay their legal welcome, but stay permanently and the government does little or nothing about this huge loophole. Any immigration policy must find ways to enforce the laws we already have on the books with appropriate consequences.
I also support increasing penalties against those that traffic in human lives, whether they smuggle people over the border or sell people into the human slave trade. This behavior cannot be tolerated and should be dealt with harshly.
What I do not support is the guest worker program. The Southern Poverty Law Center has documented that employers routinely cheat guest workers out of wages, hold employees captive by seizing documents, coerce workers to live in inhumane conditions, and deny medical treatment for on-the-job injuries. This also is inhumane behavior and cannot be tolerated. I will make it a priority to find a better way.
Other immigration policies I support are:
- The Dream Act
- Driver’s Licenses for the Undocumented
- Health Care for the Undocumented
- Support for people seeking asylum from oppressive governments
Please check back as I continue to add specifics to the things that I support.
