There must be significant steps taken to reduce or eliminate the incentives and increase the risk to persons who would enter this country illegally. 

1.       All US borders are to be sealed, controlled and guarded by the US Military, Coast Guard or National Guard units.  Any influx of illegal aliens shall be treated as an invasion.  The military shall be authorized to construct physical and/or technical barriers to prevent unauthorized access to this country.  If fired upon they will be authorized to return fire.        

2.       Criminal penalties, including both a fine and incarceration shall be assessed to anyone who knowingly hires or helps an illegal alien remain in this country or secure anything but emergency services. 

3.       The academic records of anyone found to be matriculating in this country illegally shall be expunged. 

4.       Anyone found to be in this country illegally may be deported without a court hearing.    

5.       States or local governments that identify themselves as sanctuary cities shall be refused federal funds and the legislators or administrators of those sanctuary areas should be subject to federal criminal penalties including fine and incarceration.   

6.       Any church or other non-profit organization that provides sanctuary to an illegal alien will lose its tax free status.  The head of the organization may be subject to criminal penalties including fines and incarceration.

7.       Illegal aliens shall be ineligible for any and all taxpayer services with the single exception of emergency services. 

8.       Emergency service providers shall be required to immediately report every illegal alien with whom they have contact to immigration services.  The person must be deported at the earliest opportunity.   No federal immigration officer may refuse to accept any illegal alien who is in the custody of local law enforcement and who is presented to them for deportation. 

9.       If the deportation of an illegal alien would result in an unsupervised minor or the lack of a bread-winner to a dependent family, the family must accompany the alien and leave this country.  US citizens will be allowed back in this country when they reach their majority.    

10.   The government shall have the right to freeze the bank accounts of anyone found to be here illegally.  All confiscated funds shall be used to offset the costs incurred annually in enforcement of immigration laws.     

Affirmative Argument

We will not gain control over this problem until we begin to enforce our laws and until we increase the negative consequences for those who would break our laws or aid and abet those that do.  As noted in Platform Item 11, we in the Tea Party are not opposed to immigration.  We oppose illegal immigration. 

The people of this country have spoken out numerous times as to our position on illegal immigration.  We were duped in the 1980’s when Ronald Reagan committed what he later regarded as his biggest mistake as president when he signed the amnesty bill to “once and forever” deal with this issue.  We simply made those who were here illegally able to apply to stay here legally and instantly we supposedly no longer had a problem, but we did and we must not be fooled again. 

Witness California’s proposition 187 that won by an overwhelming majority in one of the country’s most progressive states.  Witness the manner in which we all overwhelmed the switchboards of our Congressmen and Senators when McCain – Kennedy proposed their Comprehensive Immigration Bill that would have granted amnesty to more than 12 million people here illegally.  No, we were duped in the 1980’s but thanks to the Internet and cable news networks the voting public can be kept more aware than we were in the 1980’s.  It has to be obvious to those who represent us in Washington that we oppose amnesty and we want the attractiveness to illegally enter this country removed to prevent the continued violation of our immigration laws. 

The argument is often made that it would be physically impossible to deport 12 million or more people yet the people who make this argument never accept the response that we won’t have to deport them.  Most will go home on their own if they can’t get jobs or welfare assistance here.  Those that we do catch should be deported.  We must do this to ensure that those below the southern border or above our Canadian border know that we are serious about encroachment into our country.  It should also be noted that Dwight David Eisenhower removed 12 million illegal aliens during his administration and if it could be done fifty-five years ago, it can be done again. 

We cannot blame those who come here in search of a better life and it is almost certain that most of those who come are here for that reason alone.  Still, we have a method for applying for access that needs to be followed so that we know who comes into the country and where they are.  Unfortunately we have a number of illegal aliens who don’t come here to earn a better life for themselves and their family, they come here to feed off of other people, quite often they feed off other illegal aliens who wish to not be found and will not report crimes to the police.  Criminal aliens commit larceny, assault and murder.  Our prisons overflow because of the need to incarcerate persons who should never have been here in the first place.  Our greatest concern should be that during a period in which we are at war with terrorist organizations an open border is an invitation to persons wishing to harm this country. 

This platform position would seal the border and dry up the spring that attracts those who come.  It would make it a felony for persons to assist people that are breaking our immigration laws and persons who knowingly hire or assist illegal aliens to be hired would face jail time.   Non-profit organizations that assist persons to enter illegally would lose their non-profit status.  Dependents would be required to go with the illegal alien if they have no other visible means of support. 

Our school systems pay a heavy penalty for educating the children of illegal aliens.  This makes no sense.  If the child is a dependent of someone who is here illegally, remove them from the country.  Don’t create special classes in second language studies and try to teach math in more than one language.   Some states attempt to accommodate the children of illegal aliens by offering in-state tuition to their universities.  I favor expunging all academic records for those who matriculate in this country illegally and denying them access to our nation’s schools. 

I harbor no malice toward those who would want to come here and find a better life.  I only want them to come here through the legal process.  Their violation of our laws generates other criminal activity.  It depresses the wages that would otherwise be available to American citizens.   Special services including healthcare, welfare and education are all overburdened as we attempt to cater to people who received no invitation to enter and should not be here.  The national security consequences could be significant.