Santorum says....

[xoxoxoBruce]

I got this email today;

Thank you for contacting me regarding immigration reform. I appreciate hearing from you and having the benefit of your views.
As you may know, the Senate passed S. 2611, the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006, on May 25, 2006. I voted against this legislation because I do not believe this is the right way to reform our immigration system.
As the son of an Italian immigrant who came to the United States in 1930, I understand the important and valuable contributions legal immigrants have made and continue to make to our country. I have great respect for those who have legally come to our nation seeking a better life for their families.
However, I firmly believe that the safety and security of our country must be our first priority. Who is traveling across our borders and why they are doing so is as important as any issue we currently face. It is a complicated issue with far reaching implications that will impact our national security, our economy, and our culture.

Securing our border is a basic responsibility of a sovereign nation. An immigration policy that does not control who is entering our nation is not an immigration policy at all. The best way to do this is by strengthening and supporting our Border Patrol, both through greater numbers and technological advancements. To this end, I cosponsored and voted for a successful amendment introduced by Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama that authorizes the Department of Homeland Security to construct 370 miles of triple-layer fence and 500 miles of vehicle barriers at strategic locations along our southern border.

I also cosponsored an amendment offered by John Ensign of Nevada that provides reimbursement for the temporary use of the National Guard to secure the borders of the United States. With the approval of the Secretary of Defense, the governor of any state may order the use of the National Guard to provide "command, control and continuity of support" such as ground and airborne reconnaissance, logistical, tactical and administrative support, communications services and emergency medical services. I was pleased to see both of these amendments pass as they are solid first steps towards border security.

However, the main reason that I voted against S. 2611 is that this bill gives amnesty to the immigrants who came to this country illegally. I believe those who have entered this country illegally must return to their native land and move through the legal process just like everyone else. The idea that those who have been here illegally for an arbitrary number of years should be able to stay in America simply by paying back taxes is an insult to all those who have waited patiently and lawfully for their chance to come here and pursue the American dream.

There were many opportunities to improve this legislation throughout Senate debate, and I was disappointed that the majority of my colleagues did not truly hear the call of their constituents to oppose amnesty. I cannot support an amnesty proposal now because amnesty has failed in the past. In 1986, Congress attempted to address this same issue, though on a much smaller scale. Estimates of the size of the illegal-immigrant population in the U.S. in 1986 placed the total number close to 1 million; today we are dealing with around 12 million. Providing amnesty to one million illegal immigrants yielded 12 million over the course of 20 years. Amnesty simply fails the test of history.

S. 2611 also threatens the health of our nation's social safety net-Social Security-by adding millions of new beneficiaries to an already burdened program. I cosponsored an amendment offered by Senator John Ensign that would have prevented illegal immigrants from getting Social Security benefits based on their illegal work history, often with an invalid number. Unfortunately, a majority of my colleagues voted to kill this amendment. By doing so, the Senate has rewarded illegal immigrants by putting our current elderly beneficiaries, who paid into the Social Security system for decades in order to collect the benefits they receive today, further at risk in an already stretched system.

America is a nation of immigrants, a nation that derives much of our strength from those who come here to live the American Dream. However, the immigrants who have contributed so much to the character of our nation came here legally. We devalue their sacrifices and hardships if we fail to ask the same of today's immigrants. I will continue to oppose any legislation that provides amnesty for illegal immigrants.

Thank you again for contacting me. If I can be of further assistance on this or any other matter, please do not hesitate to call on me again.

I'm voting against him in November.