Immigration debate: Q&A with Rep. James Sensenbrenner Jr.
Do you think it is possible to close the border in any meaningful way? Some say beefing up the border will not solve the problem.
A: There is no single solution in this issue. One of the reasons that there isn't is that we, basically, have let the issue of illegal immigration go for 50 years. And we are paying the price of ignoring this issue for such a long period of time. I make no apologies for being the person that brought this issue to national attention through the introduction of my bill.
Are there any border security measures that you think are more important than others? Or do you think all will make it into the final bill?
A: It's hard to say. What I'm concerned about is that the Senate bill requires us to consult with Mexico before building any kind of a barrier. We are building a barrier to protect ourselves, and we shouldn't have to talk to any foreign government on it. It is important that we fund the additional Border Patrol agents rather than authorize a lot of them and never fund any of them. That is what happened at the time the 2004 intelligence bill passed, which authorized 2,000 more Border Patrol agents and the administration only wanted to fund 188 of them.
Are there any border security measures that you don't support?
A: I'm not going to say what I support and what I don't support because that limits my ability to try to reach a compromise. What I can say is that border security and enforcing employer sanctions are essential if we are to prevent millions more illegal immigrants from coming across the border.
What are you hearing in your district about immigration?
A: I'm getting very strong support in my district. There are some church groups that are opposed to what the House of Representatives has done. But over Memorial Day, I did four parades in four distinct parts of my district. I got cheered in all four parades. There were more people that came out in the middle of the street, saying: "I want to shake your hand because you're doing the right thing on immigration."
Are people saying that border security should be the No. 1 priority?
A: People talk more about border security than enforcing employer sanctions. But even a lot of people with the church groups say that because we are not enforcing employer sanctions there are many employers who actually exploit illegal immigrants, and they don't like that. And neither do I. The people who hire large numbers of illegal immigrants are the 21st-century slave masters, and they are just as immoral as the 19th-century slave masters.
Do you think it is really possible to deport all the illegal immigrants?
A: No. However, if we shut off the jobs by enforcing employer sanctions, many of the illegal immigrants will simply decide to go home because they cannot make money in the United States. And you will see an attrition.
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