Paul Gosar on Immigration

Secure our border and oppose amnesty

The Federal Government has completely failed its constitutional, legal and moral duty to secure our borders. The people of Arizona have paid the price for Washington's callous disregard for our laws. The Obama Administration, assisted by the far left, believe that "open borders" should apply to the US, even though no other country in the world has an open border.

Stop releasing low-risk illegal immigrants.

Letter from office of Rep. Matt Salmon (R-AZ-5) signed by 37 Members of Congress

Dear Secretary Napolitano,

We are deeply concerned that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is using sequestration as a vehicle to further the Administration's disregard for enforcing our immigration laws. Specifically, we are troubled by recent reports that DHS has released hundreds of illegal immigrants, rather than finding cost savings elsewhere in the agency.

Your agency's decision to release "low-risk" illegal immigrants back into the public under the guise of saving money is unprecedented and dangerous. The inability of DHS to prioritize resources for potential cuts suggests this decision was either politically motivated to further the Administration's amnesty goals or, at best, demonstrates agency incompetence.

Given the public safety and national security concerns this decision raises, we respectfully request you halt any further action to release detained illegal immigrants. Also, please respond to the following questions, regarding individuals already released, pending release, or anticipated to be released:

• The number of detainees released and the geographic location of where the releases took place;
• Any plans for future releases, and the geographic location of where those releases will take place;
• The name of the DHS official who authorized the review of detained illegal immigrants for release;
• The criteria used to determine who is eligible for release;
• The number of reviewed detainees denied release and the specific reasons for such denials;
• A list identifying cuts to the DHS budget implemented prior to the release of the detainees, the budget savings achieved, and why these savings were insufficient;
• How DHS is tracking illegal immigrants released under this plan, and whether they will be ordered back to detention centers if funding becomes available.

Analyze terrorism and criminal threats on southwest border.

This bill calls for a southwest border threat analysis that includes an assessment of:
• terrorism and criminal threats posed by individuals and organized groups seeking to unlawfully enter the US through the southwest border
• improvements needed at and between ports of entry along such border to prevent terrorists and instruments of terror from entering the US
• gaps in law, policy, law enforcement, or international agreements that hinder effective and efficient border security, counterterrorism, anti-human smuggling and trafficking efforts, and the flow of legitimate trade along such border; and
• the current percentage of situational awareness and of operational control of US borders achieved by DHS of the international land and maritime borders of the US.
• The bill requires, every five years, a Border Patrol Strategic Plan that includes consideration of the southwest border threat analysis and an assessment of principal border security threats.