Earl Blumenauer: “the Border Security Act of 2005 will not mend our broken immigration system. This legislation is narrowly focused on…”

“the Border Security Act of 2005 will not mend our broken immigration system. This legislation is narrowly focused on interior security and enforcement while it falls far short of providing the workable solution that we desperately need. With more than 11 million undocumented immigrants living and working in our country, simply increasing the already harsh penalties for immigration violations and placing a larger burden on employers is an inadequate approach to our immigration crisis. By not containing a guest worker program, this legislation fails to address the presence of the sizable undocumented community in the United States. It's widely recognized that agri-business, manufacturing, hospitality and restaurant industries depend on millions of undocumented workers. Without a practical approach to this issue, real reform remains out of reach. American taxpayers have invested billions of dollars to secure our borders and end illegal immigration, yet the number of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. has increased more in the past five years than ever before in our Nation's history. In order to secure our borders, legalize our workforce, and advance our economy we must develop true comprehensive immigration reform.”