U.S. General Population Act

H.R. 5523

The Senate has debated and passed an immigration reform bill. I, along with many of my colleagues in the House, see this bill as falling far short of reform. The Senate bill establishes a gradual amnesty program to many who have crossed the border illegally. The bill does not adequately punish those who have committed identity theft by stealing social securities numbers in order to obtain employment, or those who have not paid their taxes in order to evade immigration authorities The bill fails to address a host of other issues that arise when we turn a blind eye to crime. Awarding a person with citizenship who has shown disdain for our laws is simply not a viable solution.

The President of Mexico, Vicente Fox, has publicly criticized our right to protect our own border and keep people from illegally crossing from his country into ours. He says that we have no right to call them "illegals" or "criminals". He is very quick to advise us as to how we should proceed where immigration policy is concerned.

In an attempt to shed light on Mexico's hypocrisy, and because immigration reform is such a pivotal issue, I took action this week by introducing a new immigration reform bill. H.R. 5523, the U.S. General Population Act, is a bill that closely mirrors Mexico's own immigration laws. There are many people from other Latin American countries who are seeking employment and attempt to cross into Mexico's southern border illegally. Mexico deals with these violators with a heavy hand and does not negotiate or compromise with these criminals. So I have taken their bright-line approach to immigration enforcement, duplicated it, and introduced it in the House of Representatives. The bill includes tough penalties for those who enter illegally, tough penalties for employers who aid these criminals, eliminates anchor-babies, and a host of other provisions that will protect the integrity of our nation.

My friend, this is a very critical time for our country. Statistics suggest that more "U.S. citizens" are created each year through births to illegal aliens in this country than through all legal naturalization methods combined. This is alarming. By not enforcing our current immigration laws we have compromised our national security and we have not protected the American people. It is my sincerest desire that we reverse this tide, pass true immigration reform, and say "no" to amnesty that rewards lawbreakers. Our laws are not anti-immigrant and those who try to label them as such simply do not know the facts. Just as Mexico and other nations have strict immigration laws and enforce them, we have that same right. As a sovereign nation it is not only our right but our duty to our citizens to secure our borders first.

We cannot allow this debate to be simply about name-calling or political posturing. We need a serious and thoughtful solution to this very important and complex issue. Our success or failure will determine the fate of our children and grandchildren.

I hope you will join me in support of this bill and spread the word to your friends and family. As always, I welcome your feedback on this and any other issue. Thank you for your support!

from Congressman John Linder

Congressional Update

Me again - I received email some time ago talking about Mexico's tough immigration laws, but wasn't able to verify it. Honestly, I didn't take the time to research it very much. I'll have to dig out that email and publish it. Apparently, it has some merit.