Senator Cardin on Illegal Aliens

Senator Ben Cardin - Democrat Maryland - sent the following response to my letter dealing with illegal aliens getting driver licenses in Maryland.
I am surprised that he is actually showing a semi-tough approach. Of course this is talk, we'll see if his actions speak as loud as his words.

Its Common Sense!

Dear Mr. Wolfe:

Thank you for writing to me regarding our country's immigration system.
Our nation's immigration and border security system is broken and must be fixed. We must require illegal immigrants to step forward and become legal and we must better secure our borders. We must restore the rule of law and enhance security at our borders. The Congress and the President must work together to reform our laws . We also must use the full force of the law against employers who hire illegal immigrants.
I support changes to the law that will require illegal immigrants to become legal. They must pay taxes, learn English, and pass criminal background checks. This process won't be easy or quick, but it will be fair and practical. Individuals who came to this country illegally will be bumped to the back of the line behind those who waited to come to this country legally. And illegal immigrants with a criminal record would be deported. Those who refuse to register and meet these con ditions also should be deported.
To secure our borders, the government should require the use of a biometric entry-exit system for all land borders, so that we have an accurate record of who is entering and leaving the United States . We should create a "smart" enforcement regime which will produce more efficient inspections and screenings, and allow us to target and tailor our limited resources to combat illegal smuggling of people and contraband. I supported recent appropriations that provided $1.6 billion for border security fencing, infrastructure and technology, and facility construction, as well as the hiring of 3,000 new Border Patrol agents.
To meet the needs of our workforce and promote family reunification, we should set in place realistic immigration numbers and policies, and clear the backlog of legal visas, green card legal permit resident and citizenship applications. In the last Congress, Senator Feinstein has introduced the "Agricultural Job Opportunities, Benefits and Security Act" , S. 340, in order to provide for new blue card visas and modify the H-2A program. This year, Senator Mikulski has introduced the "Save our Small and Seasonal Businesses Act" , S. 3 88, to extend the annual cap exemption for returning H-2B workers. While these two bills address key issues in the immigration debate, a comprehensive approach is the only way to adequately deal with this issue.
We can no longer ignore corporations who are hiring and exploiting illegal workers. This practice takes jobs away from Americans and depresses wages for everyone. These unlawful companies must be prosecuted and face stiff criminal and civil penalties. We need smart policies like improved border patrols, full enforcement of our laws, and requiring illegal immigrants to become legal.
The status quo is not working. Allowing 12 million to hide in the shadows and live in this country illegally is unacceptable. Our system must be fixed. Again, thank you for writing to me regarding this important issue. If I can be of any further assistance please do not hesitate to contact me in the future.

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