Conservatives and Business Representatives
Applaud Bipartisan Push On Immigration

We the undersigned applaud the introduction today of THE SECURE AMERICA AND ORDERLY IMMIGRATION ACT by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA), Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-AZ), Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) and Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL).

Immigration is one of the most urgent issues facing the nation. Our immigration system is broken. It must be fixed – for the sake of our economy and our national security. We warmly welcome this effort to craft a solution that will permit us to retake control of our borders and reestablish the rule of law in our communities.

The broken status quo is of concern to all Americans – workers, employers, taxpayers and all who care about our national security – and any solution worthy of the name will have to be broadly bipartisan: it must meet concerns on both sides of the aisle and among a wide array of citizens. The leadership of Senators McCain and Kennedy, and their House counterparts, makes broad bipartisanship all the more likely, and we are particularly gratified that they have produced a bill consistent with the vision of immigration reform outlined by President Bush in January 2004.

Although not all of us approve of every section of this legislation, as conservatives and business leaders we are particularly pleased by five elements:

• Enforcement with teeth. Unlike the current system, which is all but unenforceable and often lacks teeth where we need them most, THE SECURE AMERICA AND ORDERLY IMMIGRATION ACT sets realistic immigration ceilings and provides for an array of tough and innovative enforcement measures –including a new, more practical system to ensure that all employers who hire immigrant workers can comply with the new law.

• The security we need in an age of international terrorism. Unlike our existing immigration code, which provides so few legal channels for foreign workers that it all but guarantees an illegal flow that undermines our control over our borders, THE SECURE AMERICA AND ORDERLY IMMIGRATION ACT would funnel laborers into a legal guest worker program, freeing up border agents to focus their energy on terrorists, drug smugglers and other criminals.

• Unleashing economic growth. Unlike existing temporary worker programs, which hamstring businesses with red tape and bureaucratic regulation, THE SECURE AMERICA AND ORDERLY IMMIGRATION ACT would allow the free market to match willing workers and willing employers – the best way to keep our economy growing rapidly and robustly.

• Realism about illegal immigrants. Unlike some proposals for reform, which either ignore illegal immigrants or let them off the hook with amnesty, THE SECURE AMERICA AND ORDERLY IMMIGRATION ACT recognizes that we cannot fix the system without eliminating the existing underground economy – but also penalizes illegal immigrants and makes them go to the back of the line to wait their turn for permanent visas.

• Helping immigrants become Americans. Unlike the current system, which does virtually nothing to encourage immigrants to assimilate, THE SECURE AMERICA AND ORDERLY IMMIGRATION ACT creates a public-private foundation to pay for English and civics classes.

Of course, there is still much work to be done before we pass the landmark legislation that’s needed to fix our broken immigration system. We look forward to the efforts of others in Congress, both in crafting their own proposals and in strengthening the bill put forward today. Only collaboration of this kind can produce the new law we need: a broadly bipartisan package that can pass in a divided Congress and that, once passed, will work to solve all aspects of this complex problem. We encourage policymakers on both sides of the aisle to join in pressing forward to complete reform in the 109^th Congress, and we congratulate Senators McCain and Kennedy and their House counterparts, Congressmen Kolbe, Flake, and Gutierrez, on the bold start they have made today.