In an effort to emphasize tougher border security, Texas Congressman Lamar Smith recently formed the Border Security Caucus on Capitol Hill.
Rep. Smith, a vehement opponent of the Democrats’ immigration policy changes, said, “Unfortunately, President Obama has weakened immigration laws through executive orders and administrative actions. The Border Security Caucus will make border security and interior enforcement a top priority. And that is what the American people want.”
His new caucus is open to all “Members of Congress who feel the border must be secured and interior enforcement increased.”
The Congressman stated, “The Government Accountability Office has determined that only 129 miles of a 2000 mile long southern border is under ‘full control.’ That means that only 6.5% of the border is safe from drug smugglers and human traffickers… Almost 12 million people reside in the United States illegally and over 7 million of them work illegally. This situation is costly to American taxpayers and harmful to American workers.”
In the past, Smith has argued that Democrats are promoting amnesty so that their party may establish a strong electoral majority.
Smith wrote in a July 2013 op-ed, “As for Democrats claiming that Republicans must endorse legalization for the millions of people in the country illegally, we know their real motive from their own words. Here is a statement from the director of the TransBorder Project: ‘The legalization of 11 million new immigrants would likely cement the Democrat party’s position as the majority party for decades to come.'”
The Texas Congressman has no qualms about pushing back on fellow Republicans, too, when it comes to illegal immigration.
When Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and six other senators proposed immigration proposals in January 2013, Lamar said their ideas would only “increase unemployment and push enormous new costs on U.S. taxpayers.” As Breitbart News reported last year, Smith blasted the bill as being nothing less than “amnesty.”
Indeed, Sen. McCain admitted that he believes a pathway to citizenship is “essential” for immigrants and that “we have to enact comprehensive immigration reform.”
Rep. Smith argues that rather than reward illegal immigrants with amnesty, the best reform is a strict “entry-exit” system and increased interior security to deflate incentives for individuals to enter the U.S. illegally.
Follow Kristin Tate on Twitter @KristinBTate
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