Georgia Democrat Introduces Bill to Fight Back Against Amnesty

In my last blog, I wrote about Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders' awaking. A self-avowed amnesty advocate who supports the DREAM Act and has a rock-bottom F- NumbersUSA immigration report card, the ultra-liberal Democratic Sanders nevertheless quickly identified the Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act as a thinly veiled effort the flood the American market with cheap labor.

As it turns out, Sanders is not the only Democrat opposed to S.744. On May 23, U.S Representative John Barrow (D-GA) introduced his Keeping the Promise of IRCA bill, H.R. 2124.

In a joint press conference with Chris Crane, President of the National Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Council, Barrow said:

     “This legislation is a critical first step to any comprehensive immigration reform. We can’t agree to a policy of amnesty now and border security later — we've been down that road before. We need to secure the border and secure the jobs before we do anything else.

“My legislation imposes stringent border security measures before any further reform takes place. And unlike other legislation that's moving forward in the Congress, my bill is based on input from the agents on the ground — the men and women actually charged with the responsibility of enforcing our immigration laws.”

In support of Barrow, Crane said:

     "On behalf of ICE Officers, I applaud Congressman Barrow's efforts to provide for stronger interior enforcement of our nation's immigration laws. We are grateful for a Congressman who recognizes and works with law enforcement."

The foundation of H.R. is stronger enforcement with three key components:

• Mandatory E-Verify for all future hires, to secure American jobs from illegal applicants;
• Border security measures, enhanced penalties, and other law enforcement tools, to secure the border from further illegal entry; and
• Measures to make sure that Congress is in charge of monitoring the effectiveness of the program, not bureaucrats.

Two days before Barrow introduced his legislation, groups of grassroots organizations held a national day to urge the Senate to remember the disastrous consequences of the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act and to reject the Gang of Eight’s amnesty bill, S. 744. In 34 states, organized press conferences brought American’s attention to IRCA’s failures with the intention of making sure S. 744 fails.

CAPS has an Action Alert here which allows you to FAX your congressman in support of Barrow's Keeping the Promise of IRCA bill. Please FAX today.