From: constituent_reply@landrieu.senate.gov
Sent: Tuesday, January 15, 2008 9:26 AM
To: clemieux@inascension.com
Subject: Correspondence from Senator Landrieu
January 15, 2008
Mr. Chuck Lemieux
13085 Depen St
Gonzales, Louisiana 70737
Dear Mr. Lemieux:
Thank you for
contacting me regarding our nation’s current immigration laws and securing our
borders. I appreciate hearing from you and apologize for the delay in my
response.
The
automatic citizenship of individuals born in the United States was an essential
element of the Constitution and served an important purpose in the beginning of
our nation. Section 1 of the 14th Amendment of the Constitution
states “[a]ll persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to
the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state
wherein they reside.” Today,
we are faced with the issue of how to apply this Constitutional right to babies
of illegal immigrants.
I agree that
we must stem the tide of illegal immigration into our country. Recent
events have increased funding for this effort, aiding the Border Patrol and the
Immigration and Naturalization Service in preventing illegal entry.
As you may
know, Congressman Nathan Deal has introduced H.R. 1940, the Birthright
Citizenship Act of 2007. This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to
consider a person born in the United States “subject to the jurisdiction” of the
United States for citizenship at birth purposes if the person is born in the
United States of parents, one of whom is (1) a U.S. citizen or national; (2) a
lawful permanent resident alien whose residence is in the United States; or (3)
an alien performing active service in the armed forces. This bill is currently
before the House Judiciary Committee. This bill is currently be reviewed by the
House Judiciary Committee. I assure you that I will keep your thoughts in mind
should this legislation come before the full Senate for a vote.
I wanted to
let you know that I agree that we need to increase security along the border. In
this vein, I cosponsored an amendment to the Homeland Security Appropriations
bill that added $3 billion to the Department of Homeland Security’s budget for
border security. This amendment was successfully added to the Department of
Homeland Security Appropriations bill.
You may also
be interested to know that I, along with Senator Mark Pryor, have introduced the
Secure America through Verification and Enforcement Act (SAVE Act). The
legislation provides a three-pronged approach to reducing illegal immigration.
First, it strengthens border security by increasing border patrol agents by
8,000 over 5 years and employing new technology available, including satellite
communication and aerial surveillance.
Second, the
SAVE Act expands and mandates use of the E-verify program -- a free and
effective program that allows employers to verify the individuals they hire are
legally allowed to work in the U.S. The program will be phased-in over four
years, beginning with the federal government, federal contractors, and employers
with more than 250 employees. Smaller businesses would begin using the system in
a graduated manner.
Third, the
legislation enables law enforcement, including Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE), to enforce existing federal laws by providing them with the
staff, training, resources and infrastructure necessary to do their jobs.
Finally, I
wanted to let you know that I wanted to let you know that I voted against
cloture on the immigration bill that the Senate considered earlier this year. My
vote against cloture helped prevent the legislation from coming to a vote on the
floor of the U.S. Senate. I voted “no” because the floor debate and amendment
process failed to produce a balanced bill.
I was
especially concerned that the guest worker program proposed in the bill was
virtually unenforceable and that its structure did little to help employers
short on skilled workers. Instead, it encouraged overstaying and more illegal
behavior. In addition, the legalization rules in the bill gave greater
preference for those in the country illegally than for authorized guest workers
or family members of U.S. citizens who are trying to immigrate legally. To me,
that was fundamentally unfair. If we provide a path to earned citizenship, the
first people in line should be those who have played by the rules and followed
the law.
Furthermore,
since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the citizens of Louisiana have seen the
Department of Homeland Security be unwilling or unable to implement quick and
effective reform when it is needed or directed by Congress. This bill called
upon the agency to absorb yet another hefty responsibility with little
consideration for the resources, accountability, and a realistic time line
necessary to make it happen. In light of our experiences in Louisiana, I had
serious reservations whether the Department of Homeland Security would have been
able to implement many of the reforms set forth in the bill in such a tight time
frame.
Throughout
the debate over the last several weeks, I tried to improve the bill through the
amendment process. For example, I voted for the Dorgan Amendment to eliminate
the temporary guest worker program and for the Bingaman Amendment to cut the
number of temporary guest workers from 400,000 to 200,000 per year, which passed
the Senate.
I also
supported an amendment to eliminate the portion of the bill that would have
legalized currently illegal immigrants residing in the country. Finally, I voted
to strengthen the border security triggers that must be in place before the
temporary guest worker program can begin. Unfortunately, these measures failed
to garner the necessary number of votes to be included in the legislation.
I remain
committed to providing every necessary resource to enforce our immigration laws
and to help American workers and businesses to prosper and thrive. I appreciate
the opportunity to hear from you about this important matter, and I hope you
will continue to contact me on issues of mutual concern. Please feel free to
also visit my website at
http://www.senate.gov/~landrieu
for more information on legislative affairs.
With warmest regards, I am
Sincerely,
Mary L. Landrieu
United States Senator
MLL:chr
