Lawson for Congress

As someone once said to me, "Our borders are neither open, closed, nor secure." Our borders are not open to millions around the world desiring to come here as productive participants in our society who are delayed for years, often decades, through the cumbersome and unfair legal process. Our borders are not closed to those who come across with lack of regard for our immigration laws. And our borders are not secure from the trespassing of national security threats. 

The vital component of a comprehensive immigration reform bill is physical security of the Northern and Southern borders. Border security is a national security issue, as intelligence reports indicate that al-Qaeda as well as international gangs such as M.S. 13 have infiltrated the country without detection through our borders. Furthermore, this issue is a stark representation of Washington's broken priorities, as we are sending Border Patrol agents to secure borders in occupied Iraq while our borders remain porous. I do not support a border fence, as I believe a physical barrier is impractical. I believe the answer is bolstered Border Patrol.

I would also seek to simplify our immigration laws, which are preventing talented and productive people from coming to our country. I support easing requirements for Student and H1B Visas. I would also work to ease requirements for current legal immigrants to achieve extended and permanent residency status. 

Another component is addressing the economic incentives driving illegal immigration, which are driven largely by federal mandates for provision of public services. I will work to end unfunded federal mandates, while respecting the rights of local communities to provide public services to the extent allowed by their local resources.

Economic pressures aside, we should not behave like a police state with raids to round people up at gunpoint. Such publicity stunts are only designed to intimidate and give the impression of enforcement, when the underlying incentives to enter illegally haven’t changed. We must not split up families, deport children, or deport parents and leave children behind. Let's not take a problem created by our governments, and punish innocent children as a result.

Finally, a question of great difficulty is the issue of amnesty. I do not support the idea of federal troops and agents barging into homes and private property with machine guns to forcibly take away people who entered the country illegally. Such police state tactics only incite fear, without changing the underlying economic incentives encouraging illegal immigration. However, I do believe that amnesty for immigrants who entered illegally is disrespectful to those who have come here through legal channels, and in good conscience, I cannot support it. I believe people here illegally should be given the opportunity to obtain temporary status as a guest worker, but that a path to permanent residency or citizenship requires that they leave the country and reapply through a fair, sustainable, and streamlined process that is accessible to all.

It is important to remember that an essential part of addressing the immigration issue is the responsibility of foreign governments to institute good economic policies that provide opportunities for their citizens. While we cannot directly control corruption or economic opportunity in other countries, to the extent that our trade and agricultural policies damage other nations, we worsen the problem of illegal immigration.