A broad coalition of conservatives and Tea Partiers have written to members of Congress to express their strong opposition to the Senate’s amnesty bill on the grounds that it does not equal true immigration reform, Breitbart News has learned.
“We write to express our serious concerns regarding the Gang of Eight’s immigration bill, S. 744,” the coalition wrote to members, according to a copy of the letter obtained by Breitbart News. “We oppose this bill and urge you to vote against it when it comes to the Senate floor. No matter how well-intentioned, the Schumer-Rubio bill suffers from fundamental design flaws that make it unsalvageable.
“Many of us support various parts of the legislation, but the overall package is so unsatisfactory that the Senate would do better to start over from scratch.”
Letter signers include national conservative talk radio hosts Mark Levin, Laura Ingraham, Roger Hedgecock, Howie Carr, Monica Crowley, Lars Larson, Dr. Gina Loudon and more. The letter also includes conservative leaders like Red State editor Erick Erickson, Twitchy founder and conservative columnist Michelle Malkin, the Rev. C.L. Bryant, best-selling author David Limbaugh, the Hudson Institute’s John Fonte, John Hinderaker of Powerline.com, David Horowitz, Cliff Kincaid of America’s Survival, Mark Krikorian of the Center for Immigration Studies, Mickey Kaus of The Daily Caller, Rich Lowry of the National Review, Jenny Beth Martin of Tea Party Patriots, Michael Needham of Heritage Action, Ginni Thomas of Liberty Consulting, conservative activist Richard Viguerie, former congressman Allen West, Hillsdale College professor Tom West, conservative women leader Phyllis Schafly, American Family Radio host Sandy Rios and many others. The letter is also signed by local Tea Party and conservative leaders from across the country.
The letter’s signatories express fears that the Schumer-Rubio is “bloated and unwieldy along the lines of Obamacare or Dodd-Frank” and that it also “cedes excessive control over immigration law to an administration that has repeatedly proven itself to be untrustworthy, even duplicitous.”
The group also believes that the bill “legalizes millions of illegal immigrants before securing the borders, thus ensuring future illegal immigration,” and it “rewards law breakers and punishes law enforcement, undermining the rule of law.”
Economically speaking, the coalition believes the bill “hurts American job-seekers, especially those with less education” and “threatens to bankrupt our already strained entitlement system.” They also think the bill “expands government by creating new bureaucracies, authorizing new spending, and calling for endless regulations,” while serving as a vehicle “shot through with earmarks for politically connected interest groups.”
The coalition thinks, too, that the bill “contains dangerous loopholes that threaten national security” and “overwhelms our immigration bureaucracy, guaranteeing widespread fraud.”
The coalition believes true immigration reform is necessary but does not believe this bill represents true immigration reform. “Reforming our immigration system is an important priority,” the group wrote. “But S.744 is such a defective measure that it would do more harm than good.”
“We urge you to vote against it and against any cloture vote to bring up the bill,” the group added. “Only then can a constructive, measured debate take place on how to improve America’s immigration policy.”
A full list of the signers, according to the copy of the letter obtained by Breitbart News, is below:
Barbara Anderson, Citizens for Limited Taxation
Gary Bauer, Campaign for Working Families
Rev. C.L. Bryant, One Nation Back to God
Howie Carr, New England Talk Radio Host
Ann Corcoran, Refugee Resettlement Watch
Monica Crowley, Ph.D., Nationally Syndicated Radio Host
Glynn Custred, Professor Emeritus CSU East Bay
Jim Eagan, Sumner United for Responsible Government (Tennessee)
Elaine Donnelly, Founder and President, Center for Military Readiness
John Eastman, former Dean Chapman University Law School
Ken Eldred, CEO, Living Stones Foundation
Erick Erickson, Editor of RedState
Maria Espinoza, Houston Eagle Forum, The Remembrance Project
T. Willard Fair, President & CEO, Urban League of Greater Miami, Inc.
John Fonte, Hudson Institute
David Frum, Frum Forum
Brigitte Gabriel, President and Founder, Act for America
Frank Gaffney, President Center for Security Policy
Victor Davis Hanson, Hoover Institution, Stanford University
Donna Hearne, Constitutional Coalition, St. Louis, Missouri
Roger Hedgecock, Nationally Syndicated Radio Host
John Hinderaker, Powerline.com
David Horowitz, David Horowitz Freedom Center
Laura Ingraham, Nationally Syndicated Radio Host
Mickey Kaus, Columnist, Daily Caller, author The End of Equality
Roger Kimball, Encounter Books and The New Criterion
Cliff Kincaid, President, America’s Survival
Mark Krikorian, Center for Immigration Studies
Stanley Kurtz, Senior Fellow, Ethics and Public Policy Center
Kelly Monroe Kullberg, Christians for a Sustainable Economy
Lars Larson, Radio Host, Compass Media Networks
Mark Levin, Author and Radio Host
David Limbaugh, Lawyer and Author
Herb London, President, London Center for Policy Research
Dr. Gina Loudon, Nationally Syndicated Radio Talk Show host and Author
Rich Lowry, Editor, National Review
Michelle Malkin, author of Invasion and syndicated columnist
Ed Martin, Chairman, Missouri Republican Party
Jenny Beth Martin, Co-Founder and National Coordinator, Tea Party Patriots
Ken Masugi, Senior Fellow, The Claremont Institute
Andy McCarthy, Executive Director, Philadelphia Freedom Center
Eric Metaxas, Author and Speaker
Paul Mirengoff, Powerline.com
Frank L. Morris, Sr., Ph. D.
Mike Needham, CEO, Heritage Action
C. Preston Noell, President Tradition, Family, Property, Inc.
Peter K. Núñez, Former U.S. Attorney, Southern District of California; Former Assistant Secretary for Enforcement, Department of the Treasury
Rev. Rick Scarborough, President, Vision America Action
John O’Sullivan, Editor-at-Large, National Review
Daniel Pipes, President, Middle East Forum
Judson Phillips, Founder Tea Party Nation
Andy Ramirez, Law Enforcement Advocate and Journalist
Sandy Rios, Vice-President, Family PAC Federal and Morning Host for AFR Talk
Phyllis Schlafly, President and Founder, Eagle Forum
Dimitri K. Simes, President & CEO, Center for the National Interest
Smart Girl Politics Action
Carol Swain, Professor of Political Science and of Law, Vanderbilt University
Tea Party Nation
Peter Thomas, The Conservative Caucus
Virginia Thomas, Liberty Consulting
Brad Thor, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author
Phil Valentine, Nationally Syndicated Conservative Radio Host
Richard Viguerie
Former Congressman Allen West
Tom West, Professor, Hillsdale College
Tim Wildmon, President of the American Family Association and American Family Radio
Cathie Adams, President, Texas Eagle Forum; Former Chairman, Republican Party of Texas
Alabama Federation of Republican Women
American Grizzlies United (Wisconsin)
Will Anderson, Conservative Radio Host, WBHP-AM, Huntsville, Alabama
Angela Bean, Coordinator South Atlanta Tea Party Patriots (Georgia)
Michael Berry, Conservative Radio Host, KTRH-AM, Houston, Texas (Syndicated)
Blanchard Tea Party (Idaho)
Jack and Joan Billman, Greencastle Defenders of Liberty, Greencastle, Indiana
Michael Brown, Conservative Radio Host, Denver, Colorado
Martha Brewer, Lamar County Tea Party Patriots (Alabama)
Melody Burns, Conservative Radio Host, WGDJ-AM, Albany, New York
Canton T.E.A. Party (Georgia)
Sam Clovis, President Serious Civics for America, Inc. (Iowa)
Common Sense Campaign of South Alabama
Carroll County Tea Party Association (Georgia)
Darin Danielski, Lake County Area Defenders of Liberty, Oconomowoc, Wisconsin
Dyersville Tea Party (Iowa)
Dave Elswick, Conservative Radio Host, KARN-FM, Little Rock, Arkansas
Kay Edmonds, Precinct Delegate, Clinton, MI, l9.12 Forum Steering Committee Member, Lenawee GOP Executive Committee Member, Veteran (Post Korea)
Empower Indiana (Indiana)
Bill & Prudence Fields, Eagle Forum, Virginia
Friends of Idaho
Greg Garrison, Conservative Radio Host, WIBC-FM, Indianapolis, Indiana
Georgia Conservatives in Action
Helen Glover, Conservative Radio Host, WHJJ-AM, Providence, Rhode Island
Kay Godwin and Pat Tippett, Co-Chairs, Georgia Conservatives in Action
Becky Gerritson, President Wetumpka TEA Party, Wetumpka, Alabama
Donna Goeddaeus, Northwoods Patriots Tea Party, Conover, Wisconsin
Green Bay (Brown County) Wisconsin TEA Party
Greencastle Defenders of Liberty (Indiana)
Ron Hei, Tea Party Patriots of Covington County
Wally Hauck, Ph.D., President of Optimum Leadership, Member of Milford, CT Republican Town Committee
Hamilton County Patriots (Indiana)
Mark Herr, The Midsouth Tea Party (Tennessee)
Marcia Hora, Iowa Grassroots Coalition
Dustin Inmman Society, Georgia
Illinois Tea Party
Danny B. Joyner, Commander, Alabama Patriots, Brewton, Alabama
Joyce Kaufman, Conservative Radio Host, WFTL-AM, Palm Beach, Florida
Dave Kramer, Dyersville Tea Party (Iowa)
Las Vegas Valley Tea Party (Nevada)
Janna Loar, State Leader Ohio Counts
Bill McLain, Conservative Radio Host, WORD, Greenville, South Carolina
Michigan Eagle Forum
Montgomery Tea Party (Alabama)
Matt Murphy, Conservative Radio Host, WAPI, Birminigham, Alabama
Reid Mullins, Conservative Radio Host, KTOK, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Lisa Nancollas, Pennsylvania State Coordinator, Tea Party Patriots and Mifflin County Tea Party Patriots
Sara Jo Odom, Eagle Forum of Oklahoma
Patriots of Liberty TEA Party, Auburn, Alabama
Bobbie Patray, President, Eagle Forum of Tennessee
Carol Payne, Eagle Forum, Lubbock, Texas
Pennsylvania Coalition for Responsible Government
Bill Post, Conservative Radio Host, KYKN, Salem, Oregon
John Putnam, Chairman, Jasper County Republican Central Committee (Missouri)
Merre Putnam, State Committeewoman, 32nd Senatorial District
Steve Ramey and David Hancock, Gwinnett Tea Party (Atlanta)
Russell Ramland Park Cities/Preston Hollow Leadership Forum, Dallas, Texas
Jennifer Schubert-Akin, Activist, Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Janet Smith, Local Coordinator, Greenfield Area Tea Party, Greenfield Indiana
Standpoint Tea Party Patriots (Idaho)
Rainy Day Patriots (Alabama)
Rob Schilling, WINA-AM, Charlottesville, Virginia
Jeff Schwilk, San Diegans for Secure Borders Coalition
Kim Simac and Shirley Kufeldt, Northwood Patriots, Eagle River, Wisconsin
Todd Isaac “Ike” Skelton, Lebanon Tea Party (Missouri)
Janet Smith, Greenfield Area Tea Party (Indiana)
Loretta and Ricky Short, Wetumpka TEA Party (Alabama)
Eunie Smith, President, Eagle Forum of Alabama
South West Pennsylvania Eagle Forum
Pam Stout, Idaho State Coordinator, Tea Party Patriots
Barbara Susco, Florida Eagle Forum
Taxed Enough Already Party, Barbour County, Alabama
Taxed Enough Already Party, Quitman County, Georgia
Tea Party North (Indiana)
Brian Tilton, Conservative Radio Host, WTPL-FM, Concord, New Hampshire
Joe Thomas, Conservative Radio Host, WCHV-AM, Charlottesville, Virginia
Vanderburgh County Tea Party Patriots (Indiana)
Dawn Wildman SoCal Tax Revolt Coalition, Inc.
Lynn Woolley, Lynn Woolley Show, Syndicated, Texas
Don and Skeet Workman, Eagle Forum, Lubbock, Texas
Sally Zelikovsky, Founder of Bay Area Patriots and Coordinator of San Francisco Tea Party
Dennis Zellaha, Tea Party Patriots and Iowa Grassroots Coalition (Iowa)
Photo: Fibonacci Blue/Flickr
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