Wilson Co-sponsors Republican Immigration bill that focuses on “Security First”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 29, 2007

CONTACT: Ryan Murphy
(202) 225-2452 (Office)
(202) 689-4825 (Cell)

Wilson Co-sponsors Republican Immigration bill
that focuses on “Security First”

Today, Congressman Joe Wilson (SC-02) co-sponsored the “Secure Borders FIRST Act of 2007,” introduced by Representatives Peter King (R-NY) and Lamar Smith (R-TX).

The primary objective is to secure our border by focusing on simple principles. This legislation will give the Department of Homeland Security the tools necessary to gain operational control of our borders. In addition, H.R. __ will enforce our current immigration and workforce laws, mandate detention of those attempting to cross the border illegally, and refuse to give amnesty to illegal aliens. The bill also establishes English as our national language.

“It is crucial that we first protect our citizens by securing our borders. We then need to enforce the laws already on the books. To be effective, a simple verification system must be created so employers can be confident they are hiring legal workers.”

The bill will modify the current H-2A visa program, for temporary agricultural workers, to make it easier to facilitate the hiring process for farmers. It also has several provisions to ensure workers do not overstay their visas, such as prohibiting them from bringing their families to America and withholding a portion of their wages in escrow until they return home.

“It is very important to the agricultural industry that we have an efficient visa system that will allow workers to help farmers at critical times. We also must make certain that these workers do not stay longer than their visa allows.”

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