A Minuteman Project reader took the time to visit our take action center and send a message directly to her Senator expressing her disagreement with Obama’s immigration executive fiat. Her representative, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), sent her the following response:
Dear [redacted]:
Thank you for contacting me about President Obama’s use of executive actions pertaining to immigration. I appreciate hearing from you.
In June 2013, I voted for a permanent and comprehensive legislative proposal that would have significantly improved our nation’s broken immigration system. The Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act, S. 744, passed the U.S. Senate on a bipartisan vote of 68-32. If enacted, it would have strengthened border security, created a better system for companies to verify the immigration status of their employees, and improved visa programs to encourage highly-skilled immigrants to invest in the U.S. And it would have created an earned pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who have grown roots in our communities following compliance with various requirements, including background checks, fines, taxes, and a return to the end of the line to apply for permanent legal status or citizenship.
The comprehensive immigration bill was a major compromise achieved by Democrats and Republicans working together. Like any compromise, the bill included provisions deemed less than ideal for both sides. But in the end, it offered an opportunity to finally fix our broken immigration system, create new jobs, and allow millions of undocumented immigrants to come out of the shadows. Unfortunately, the House of Representatives did not vote on this important issue during the 113th Congress.
On November 20th, 2014 the President announced executive actions he was taking to help fix important parts of our immigration system. The President’s executive actions grant temporary protections from deportation for undocumented immigrants who are parents of U.S. citizens and who have lived in the U.S. for at least five years following compliance with background checks, fines, and taxes. In addition, the executive actions will shift resources to prioritize the deportation of national security threats and serious criminals and enhance Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement efforts on the Southwest border.
I support the enactment of comprehensive immigration reform legislation that is encompassing and long-term. I likewise acknowledge that the President retains legal authority to shape the enforcement and implementation of existing immigration laws, as previous Administrations, both Republican and Democratic, have done to provide temporary immigration relief for different groups of people since the 1950’s. After more than 25 years since Congress last enacted immigration reform, I will continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass a permanent legislative solution that addresses the significant immigration challenges that we face.
Thank you again for contacting me.
Sincerely,
Tim Kaine
I got the same letter, still Kaine and Warner DO NOT listen to their constituants, ANY amnesty is WRONG< they will not pay taxes etc, they will still drive illegally, hitting and killing people because they drink too much, POINT: My son was hit at 10 AM, still fighting to get back the money lost, driver, ILLEGAL< DRUNK< and owner of car ILLEGAL, NO Insurance , had Ins. to get tags then dropped it. We have had amnesty in pat, most will continue to hide, and send their money back to where they came from, under bid Americans on Landscaping and house painting and construction jobs, live 5 or 6 families to a single family house, which brings our house values down. We have LAWS, enforce them and secure the border.
Obviously, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) is speaking the official party line to support what most of us feel is an arbitrary and selfish act of lawlessness by President Obama.
I am not surprised. After all, the Democrat Party is now the party of the wealthy and the reprehensible slave traders it represents.
If there is to be a serious enforcement of U.S. immigration laws, it will come from political parties other than the Democrat Party. Fortunately, there are more Independents and Republicans than Democrats, so perhaps we just might get a responsible rule-of-law president (and a Congress) to carry us into the future.
Jim Gilchrist, The Minuteman Project
It’s almost funny to hear a politician describe our Immigration System as “broken.” If they system is “broken,” it’s because politicians from both parties, since long before 9-11, have failed in their Constitutional responsibility to “provide for the common defense.” They will not secure the border. Both parties look the other way as “undocumented” (i.e. Illegal) immigrants violate it with impunity. The system is “broken” precisely because we have no idea who these people are. We don’t know where they’re from, at least not all of them. What do they want? What are their intentions? How long do they intend to stay? We can’t even give a reasonably accurate estimate of how many illegal aliens are in the country! 12-20 million?
This is Politico Speech. Notice he said he voted to fix our broken system. No our system is not broken it is not enforced.because him and his Socialist Democrats want to import voter to support him and the Socialists. He knows that the citizens do not like this and will vote him out of office, so he is trying to stuff the ballot box with illegals. These politicans all use the same form letter so that it justifies his action if you know his action. If you don’t it makes you think he is on your side. This is just a slight change form the old “death by amendment” that they use to use. They carefully say that there was something in the bill that made them vote the way they do although they agree with you.
The disinformation campaign against the middle class worker and taxpayer is staggering..The immigration system isn’t broke the laws just are not being enforced..
In 1986 Reagan handed out (with Congress’s approval) a one time only amnesty for 3 million illegals..We were suppose to get border security, workplace enforcement, and deportations of criminals. We didn’t get any of that except the amnesty part..Now we have 11 million or more illegals demanding amnesty again..Next time it will 20 or 30 million..
There is an easy way to settle this..If you get caught employing illegals you should spend a year in prison and pay a $1,000,000 fine..Once there are no jobs and no welfare the illegals will self-deport to wherever they came from saving the taxpayer trillions and opening up at least 5 million jobs to the millions of Americans who can’t find a job..
If Obama was on the other side of things he would be marching in the streets and breaking windows and burning businesses down, but since he has a comfortable life of power and privilege he feels just fine handing communism to the rest of us or treating us like mere surfs no matter what color we are..
Tired of their speech re:broken immigration system…they know what is broken, their brains…they keep trying to give amnesty to disease ridden, uneducated, lawless, flag burning, babymaking machines, who don’t have a pot nor a penny…we have blueberry farms in south jersey that pay illegals $10.00/hr and they don’t pay for food nor where they stay, poor illegals, otherwise known as obamas pawns…I am tired of saying it, get them the hell out of OUR country…they are not going to learn English, not going to pay back taxes, nor fines because it is not required of them, just another big Obama lie…BTW, even if they did those aforementioned things, I still want them out of here!
Actually, there may be about 30 to 33 million illegal aliens currently occupying U.S. territory. No one, not even the government, keeps a serious tally. Even I have to “guestimate” the number based on reports from the US Border Patrol. My “guestimate” brings the tally of undetected and/or deliberately un-deported illegal aliens to the low 30 millions, since the USBP claims it only apprehends one of four or five illegal entrants…and last year the apprehensions totaled about 750,000. So, four times that number means another 3 million per year are never apprehended and deported. They just hide in the so-called “shadows” in anytown USA. This has been going on for over a decade, so perhaps my estimate of 30 million might actually be an understatement.
JIm Gilchrtist, The Minuteman Project
12-20 million is just the number I hear quoted most often. We are in total agreement that the number is higher, perhaps, as you say, much higher.
If even only 1% of the 12 million figure are terrorists and/or criminals, that’s 120,000 bad guys unaccounted for? People that both parties are trying to present as good people! Every one of them harmless folks just looking for a better life for themselves and their families. That’s ludicrous! It took only 19 terrorists to pull off the 9-11 attacks. What are we waiting for? 120,000 terrorists to sign up for flying lessons? That’s the issue.
Do we even have a nation anymore? I don’t think so!
politicans have stopped listening to and caring about we the people,a long time ago they are either afraid of ovomit or being blackmailed or are in with him.you figure the money they steal from the legal american taxpaying citizens and do nothing for anyone but themselfs and there bank accounts.and never have to answer to we the people,so what vcould be a better job then that.all part of ovomits/satans agenda21{new world order}