WASHINGTON – Senator Chuck Grassley and several colleagues today took exception with remarks made by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to the Center for American Progress about legalizing undocumented individuals.
The Senators wrote a letter to Napolitano to express disappointment when she said, “Requiring illegal immigrants to register to earn legal status…will strengthen our economy as these immigrants become full-paying taxpayers. As labor leaders have made clear to me, immigration reform will be a boon to American workers. Think about it: unions will never achieve the best terms for workers when a large part of the workforce is illegal and operates in a shadow economy. By contrast, the status quo not only hurts American workers, it also stifles potential opportunities to grow our economy.”
Grassley responded by saying, “Americans are without jobs at near-record levels and now the administration wants to legalize millions of illegal aliens to compete for the limited number of jobs available. It’s ludicrous to think that this could help our economy. We need to focus on creating new jobs and getting people back to work, not new, controversial policies that will jeopardize opportunities for unemployed Americans.”
“Legalizing those who have no legal right to be in the United States will not be a ‘boon’ to American workers. Rather, it would only exacerbate the unfair competition American workers currently face as they struggle to find jobs,” the Senators wrote.
The Obama administration has diluted enforcement initiatives. Since the administration took office in January, it has rescinded the “no-match” rule that clarified employers’ legal obligation to conduct due diligence when they are confronted with evidence that a significant number of their employees may have used false or stolen Social Security numbers to obtain work. The administration repeatedly delayed and then weakened the rule requiring contractors of the federal government to use E-Verify. Also, the 287(g) program that allows local law enforcement to arrest and detain illegal aliens has been changed dramatically to reduce its effectiveness in many communities. The worksite enforcement strategy of Immigration and Customs Enforcement has replaced worksite enforcement with administrative paperwork audits, which has led to a dramatic reduction in arrests and deportation of those who are working illegally in this country.
Here is a copy of the letter to Napolitano from Senators Grassley, Jeff Sessions, David Vitter, Saxby Chambliss, Mike Crapo, Jim Bunning, Jim Inhofe, Orrin Hatch, James Risch, Roger Wicker, John Thune and Johnny Isakson.