Alien Anxiety
What are you hearing in your district about immigration?
I'm getting very strong support in my district. There are some church groups that are opposed to what the House 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."
Do you think it is really possible to deport all the illegal immigrants?
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.
What do you think of the proposal by Rep. Mike Pence, Republican of Indiana, that would provide an incentive for illegal immigrants to leave the country and then apply for guest-worker visas to come to the United States?
I have not reviewed the Pence proposal. The thing is ... the Senate has passed a bill and the House has passed its version of a bill. But the Pence bill itself has passed neither house.
Do you think that the stark difference between the Senate and House bills reveals a larger split between House and Senate Republicans?
This is really a bipartisan issue. For example, there are liberal Democrats, like the two senators from North Dakota, who are very strongly opposed to amnesty and a guest-worker program.
Do you think immigration will be a key issue in the upcoming elections?
How this works out will determine whether it will be a key issue in November. We still have [a little less than] five months before the election, and five months in the political season is kind of like centuries in history.
If no compromise is reached, how will this reflect on Congress?
I am committed to working hard to try to reach a compromise that solves the problem. On the other hand, I don't want to put my name on a bill that makes the problem worse.
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