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Congress Must Show Courage on Immigration
Green Valley News and Sun
Guest Opinion by Rep. Gabrielle Giffords
There is a saying out West that the best way out of a difficulty is through it. Congress is running out of time to move immigration legislation before members leave Capitol Hill to hit the campaign trail. Yes, this is a hard problem, but it’s time to stop talking and start acting.
Politicians like to talk. There have been many congressional hearings over the last 18 months on practically every aspect of our nation’s immigration crisis.
We have heard hours of testimony on immigration issues ranging from employee verification, to border security, visa backlogs, and the extraordinary burdens placed on border states like Arizona.
But so far, it has been all hat and no cattle. Not one serious bill has emerged.
The stakes are too high for us to go home without trying to pass necessary changes to our immigration laws.
Emotions run high on the immigration debate - it has become heated and ugly.
But that is no excuse for inaction. Congressional leadership, both House and Senate, must recognize the far-reaching consequences of doing nothing.
Congress must be courageous, step into the fire of diverse opinions, and get the job done.
Like all Americans, Southern Arizonans expect their elected officials to tackle the tough issues, not just the easy ones.
Here along the border, we are not scared of the complex problems and competing viewpoints involved in our nation’s immigration crisis. We do not sit on the fence, wringing our hands.
For example, when the Border Patrol started talking about a permanent checkpoint on Interstate 19, we pulled together as a community.
Many in the Green Valley and Tubac communities opposed the specific border patrol plan, yet everyone agreed to the need to stop the massive flow of drugs, migrants, guns and violence.
After months of sometimes raucous meetings, we reached a reasonable compromise on the design, location and footprint of the checkpoint.
Not everyone liked the results, but the majority did. That’s how our democracy should work.
In Southern Arizona we are:
- Fighting for more Border Patrol officers;
- Demanding that hospitals and law enforcement agencies get reimbursed for costs associated with illegal immigration;
- Improving collaboration between ranchers and Border Patrol agents;
- Monitoring the environmental impacts of border fencing;
- Implementing a more reliable employee verification system; and
- Detaining illegal immigrants rather than immediately releasing them.
Opposing viewpoints do not stop us from trying to find solutions.
From all corners of our communities we are coming together to take on the real life problems stemming from our immigration crisis. Congress should follow our lead.
On Capitol Hill, it is fashionable to talk tough on border security, while running scared from the other aspects of this complex problem. This approach is cowardly and short-sighted.
In addition to strengthening border security, we must improve our visa system, create a reliable employee verification system for businesses, take a realistic look at our workforce needs, and require that all illegal immigrants living in the U.S. come out of the shadows.
Congress cannot pick and chose which part of the immigration crisis it wants to handle.
All of it-from border security to visas - is the responsibility of the federal government.
As the 110th Congress races through its final weeks, I am pressing for common sense immigration reforms.
Congress must have faith in American principles of common sense and compromise that could produce such legislation.
John Wayne once said, “Courage is being scared to death-and saddling up anyway.” When it comes to immigration, America needs leaders, not cowards.
Click here to read the article on the Green Valley News & Sun website
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