June 21, 2007
Mr. Donald Rupert
2817 Shameonu
Burlington, IA 00000
Dear Donald:
Thank you for contacting me. I am always glad to hear from you.
I appreciate your views on the need to reform our immigration laws.
As
you may know, the Senate recently debated a comprehensive immigration
bill
that was the product of long bipartisan negotiations. After two weeks
of
consideration, the bill failed to garner enough votes to pass a
procedural
hurdle and the decision was made to pull the bill from further debate.
However, negotiations between the managers of the bill and the
President
has resulted in a deal to possibly bring the legislation back to the
Senate floor for consideration prior to the Fourth of July recess.
Please
rest assured that I will keep your input in mind if we again take up
this
bill for consideration.
Illegal immigration has reached crisis proportions in the United
States,
with an estimated 12 million undocumented people now living in our
country. American taxpayers are increasingly upset by workers and
employers who operate off the books and outside the law. Furthermore,
American workers, wanting only a level playing field, are justifiably
angry when fair wages are hard to come by because some employers prefer
easy-to-exploit immigrant workers.
In a post 9/11 world, our broken immigration system also poses a
serious
threat to our national security. Although most of those crossing our
borders illegally are coming to America to work hard and feed their
families, illegal immigration fosters a black market in fake documents
and
criminal smuggling that one day may be exploited by those seeking to
attack our nation. For these reasons, I understand why local
communities
are frustrated with the status quo.
While the recent Senate immigration reform bill was not perfect, I
believe that it is past time for Congress and the Bush Administration
to
get serious about fixing the nation's immigration system. I continue
to
believe that the way to solve the illegal immigration crisis is to
enact
comprehensive immigration reform that is tough, fair to American
taxpayers, and practical.
Increased border security and enforcement are integral elements of
fixing
our broken immigration system. The U.S. government has a right and a
duty
to control our borders. To harden the border, I believe we need the
right
combination of agents, technology and infrastructure. Furthermore, we
need to need to get tougher on those employers who knowingly hire
undocumented workers, perpetuating the flow of illegal immigrants
across
the border.
While I have always supported measures to strengthen our borders, I do
not believe that this approach alone will solve our broken system.
Only a
broad approach to immigration reform will have a true impact on the
crisis. Without granting automatic citizenship, we need a practical
solution that brings the 12 million people who are here undocumented
out
of the shadows. It is neither desirable nor practical to deport them
or
to try to force them out over time. The Center for American Progress
recently estimated that deporting these 12 million people would cost
$206
billion over 5 years, which is more than the entire budget of the
Department of Homeland Security. The only practical solution is a
legislative strategy that gets tough on illegal immigration so that it
is
stopped in the future, and sets up a program by which those currently
here
illegally are given one chance to come forward, register with the
government, submit to security and health screening, pay a fine as
restitution for having been in the U.S. illegally, learn English,
maintain
a clean criminal and work record and get to the back of the line for
permanent visas.
I will continue to work to strengthen our borders, hold employers
accountable that hire illegal immigrants, and deal with the 12 million
undocumented individuals in our country in a way that is practical and
fair to American taxpayers and workers.
Again, thanks for sharing your views with me. Please don't hesitate
to
let me know how you feel on any issue that concerns you.
Sincerely,
Tom Harkin
United States Senator
Quote:
Originally Posted by fkweston
Becoming Illegal: An actual letter from an
Iowa resident and sent to his Senator
The Honorable Tom Harkin
731 Hart Senate Office Building
Phone (202) 224 3254 Washington DC , 20510
Dear Senator Harkin,
As a native Iowan and excellent customer of the Internal Revenue
Service, I am writing to ask for your a ssistance. I have contacted
the Department of Homeland Security in an effort to determine the
process for becoming an illegal alien and they referred me to you.
My primary reason for wishing to change my status from U.S.
Citizen to illegal alien stems from the bill which was recently
passed by the Senate and for which you voted. If my
understanding of this bill's provisions is accurate, as an illegal alien who has
been in the United States for five years, all I need to do to
become a citizen is to pay a $2,000 fine and income taxes for three
of the last five years. I know a good deal when I see one and I am
anxious to get the process started before everyone figures it out.
Simply put, those of us who have been here legally have had to pay
taxes every year so I'm excited about the prospect of avoiding two
years of taxes in return for paying a $2,000 fine. Is there any
way that I can apply to be illegal retroactively? This would yield an
excellent result for me and my family because we paid heavy taxes in 2004
and 2005.
Additionally, as an illegal alien I could begin using the local
emergency room as my primary health care provider. Once I have
stopped paying premiums for medical insurance, my accountant figures I
could save almost $10,000 a year.
Another benefit in gaining illegal status would be that my
daughter would receive preferential treatment relative to her law
school applications, as well as "in-state" tuition rates for many
colleges throughout the United States for my son.
Lastly, I understand that illegal status would relieve me of the
burden of renewing my driver's license and making those burdensome
car insurance premiums. This is very important to me given that I
still have college age children driving my car.
If you would provide me with an outline of the process to become
illegal (retroactively if possible) and copies of the necessary
forms, I would be most appreciative. Thank you for you r assistance.
Your Loyal Constituent,
Donald Ruppert
Burlington, IA
Get your Forms (NOW)!! Call your Internal Revenue Service 1-800-289-1040.
Please pass this onto your friends so they can save on this great offer!!!!
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