Immigration

By Scott D. Packard

For those who want to come to America to work as guest workers, there are legal ways to do it. It is important for our economy and for our safety that they come under the guidelines of our laws. When they come legally, we have the opportunity to do background checks so that criminals and terrorists can be kept out . With a visa and temporary work permit, we can also withhold taxes, the same as all Americans. This helps pay for the many services we have to offer. We cannot tolerate them coming illegally. It is putting a terrible strain on our state and country. Over 12 million illegal aliens in this country is unacceptable!!

We have created such an attractive benefit package for the illegal aliens in our midst that it is almost impossible to prevent them from crossing our borders. We must cease providing free health care, free education, free welfare and other government services. The cost of providing these benefits takes precious taxpayer funds from other programs that our citizens desperately need. It also drives up the cost for health care and other service you and I pay for. For a while we also allowed illegal non-citizens to have legal driver's licenses which then, under current law, allowed them to register to vote. How crazy was that? We cannot allow foreigners the ability to make our laws and choose who will represent us. We also cannot afford to have uninsured undocumented drivers on the road. We cannot legitimize illegal immigration with legal driver's licenses. We must require proof of citizenship or legal status to obtain a drivers license or California ID. Citizenship status can then be posted on the ID for use for employment and voter registration.

I am not in favor of creating a special State Border Patrol. Patrolling our international borders is a Federal responsibility. To adequately patrol our State, even though Mexico only borders California on one side, we would also have to patrol our beaches and other borders. We do not have the budget in California to fund such a huge enforcement agency. It would inevitably raise taxes. California does not have to, nor should we, assume the role of the Federal government by creating a special State Border Patrol.

Even though immigration is mostly a Federal issue, the State can make changes to discourage illegal immigration. My commitment is to push legislation that will limit State social benefits to illegal aliens, deny legal driving rights to illegal aliens, and encourage enforcement agencies to abide by existing immigration laws. I wholeheartedly support lawful immigration.