Tea Party Group Announces Alternative Reform Plan to Senate Immigration Bill

Yet another Tea Party group has come out publicly against the “Gang of Eight” immigration bill, as TheTeaParty.net has announced its opposition to the legislation and published online an alternative plan for immigration reform.

“The granting of citizenship is the most solemn honor this country can confer,” TheTeaParty.Net founder Todd Cefaratti said in a statement obtained by Breitbart News. “It is not something that ought to be used to score political points or to win the next election.” 

“Before the American people extend this gift they must be assured that verifiable border security has preeminent priority. The Senate bill currently does not have it,” he explained. “Americans will not be bullied, intimidated and steamrolled into accepting this legislation.” 

“We have proposed a conservative alternative at secureamericanow.us for which we will be rallying Congressional support in the coming days.”

The group said in its release it will be briefing members of Congress on the alternative immigration reform plan in the coming days and weeks.

TheTeaParty.Net’s chief strategist Niger Innis added that he thinks the “Senate amnesty bill is a non-starter.”

“But instead of just saying we’re against something, we have put forward eight principles that we believe are the necessary pillars of an America First Immigration alternative,” Innis said. “Over the coming days we will be meeting with conservative Senate and House members about getting them to support the plan.” 

“We will not be bullied by a Harry Reid-Chuck Schumer agenda that undermines the Constitution by ramming through a bill that the American people do not support,” Innis promised. “The only way to stop a bully is to confront them.”

Many other Tea Party organizations, like Tea Party Patriots, have already announced their opposition to the Gang of Eight bill. More than 150 of them banded together in recent months to sign a letter sent to members of Congress announcing their ardent opposition to the legislation. 

TheTeaParty.net did not sign that letter at the time and was fighting suggestions from the office of Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) that it may support the legislation.

Politico previously erroneously claimed that TheTeaParty.net was among groups that had become an “ally” of the Gang of Eight. Politico later quietly edited the story after Breitbart News discovered the groups it claimed supported the bill had not expressed support for the legislation. Rather, the groups had me with Rubio’s team to get his take on the bill before they made a decision. 

“We are going to hear him out, rather than rely on the liberal media interpretation of his legislation,” Innis told Breitbart News at the time. “Reports that we have agreed to support the Gang of Eight bill are utter make-believe.”