Senate’s Amnesty Bill Was Not the Answer (Rep. Gus Bilirakis)

I am pleased that the Senate did not allow this amnesty compromise bill to move forward. Although I support reforming our immigration system and strengthening our borders, this Senate bill was not the answer.

Some in Washington have used the illegal immigration issue to tug at the heartstrings of Americans by appealing for compromise. They have advocated for Americans to accept these illegal aliens into our system with very little penalty.

As an American, I do not accept this line of thinking. The reality is that amnesty is not an answer to this complex and endemic problem. As a nation of laws and a nation of legal immigrants, it is simply wrong to reward unlawful behavior with amnesty.

Congress needs to stop poisoning the illegal immigration debate with political gamesmanship and work in a bipartisan manner toward a solution that appropriately secures our borders and provides a solution to the millions of undocumented illegal aliens in our country.