Congressman Pence penned this op-ed in the Muncie Star Press.
Here are excerpts:
"AS THE GRANDSON of an Irish immigrant, I believe in the ideals enshrined on the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor. America always has been and always will be a welcoming nation, welcoming under the law any and all with the courage enough to come to this shining city on a hill. But, a nation without borders is not a nation, and across this country, Americans are anxious about the security of our border."
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"While I agree with the President that a rational middle ground can be found between amnesty and mass deportation, amnesty is not the middle ground. My proposal sets forth a rational middle ground between amnesty and mass deportations. We can control our borders. At the same time, we can find a real rational middle ground for dealing with the illegal immigrants currently in America."
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"We can control our borders. My proposal mandates that border security be implemented before any new guest worker program begins. It embraces a concept first introduced by Sen. Johnny Isakson of Georgia that requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to certify that the border security measures in the House bill are substantially completed before any new guest worker visa may be issued."
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"My plan offers a no amnesty solution to the problem of 12 million illegal aliens living in our country. Instead, we would insist that they leave the country and come back legally if they have a job opportunity in the United States."
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"By addressing border security first and tackling the issue of the illegal immigrants now in our country through a workable no amnesty guest worker program, we can bridge the stalemate that currently grips Washington, D.C."
