On Saturday, the National Federation of Republican Assemblies (NFRA), a grassroots organization with conservative leaders and activists that work with legislators on the state level, passed a resolution against amnesty at its annual convention in Dallas, Texas. 

The resolution, a copy of which Breitbart News has obtained, urges President Barack Obama and Congress to “secure America’s borders, secure the visa entry/exit process and reject demands to repeat the failed 1986 legalization program for illegal aliens.”

It also states the “the United States of America takes in more legal immigrants than any nation in the world” and “it is impossible to honor the rich tradition of immigration and the Rule of Law upon which the American Republic was founded unless and until existing immigration laws are ardently and equally enforced.”

Georgia State Senator Josh McKoon, who was one of Georgia’s National Directors to the NFRA and led the state’s delegation’s efforts to pass the resolution, told Breitbart News that he, along with Kay Godwin and Pat Tippett from Georgia Conservatives in Action, “advocated for this resolution because government needs to focus on enforcing current immigration law.”

“America has a great tradition of legal immigration that continues today,” McKoon told Breitbart News. “The utter failure of the federal government to address the problem of illegal immigration is straining the infrastructure financed by American taxpayers, keep wages low and unemployment high.”

McKoon added, “that is why the National Federation of Republican Assemblies took a bold stand today against amnesty and for border security and enforcement of existing immigration law.”

The NFRA is described as a “grassroots movement to take back the Republican Party for the vast and disenfranchised majority of its members: Reagan conservatives, who believe in small government, lower taxes, free market capitalism, a strong defense, the right to life, and a decent America.”

After citing that more “11-20 million people are present in the United States in violation of immigration laws” while “more than twenty million Americans are under-employed or unemployed,” the resolution states that “illegal labor takes jobs away from American workers and lowers American wages” and “illegal employment and illegal immigration have a needless negative effect on America’s poorest.”

The resolution also notes that “the weight of the crisis lies with employers willing to hire cheaper black-market labor while legal immigrants and native born Americans suffer the ravages of unemployment.” It further mentions that the Congressional Budget Office “data estimates that the recently passed Schumer-Rubio ‘Gang of Eight’ legalization legislation known as s744 would only reduce illegal immigration by 30-50%” while “lowering “American wages.” 

It further emphasizes that “the amnesty of 1986 proved beyond all doubt that rewarding illegal immigration is counter to the principles of justice and equal protection and only produces more illegal immigration,” and “this body should enthusiastically encourage the enforcement of all existing state and federal laws including those regarding national security, immigration and employment.”