What Will Kirsten Gillibrand's Appointment Mean For Immigrants?
Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand has been chosen to fill Hillary Clinton's former New York Senate seat, and groups on both sides of the immigration issue will be watching closely to see how this conservative Democrat moves forward in her new position.
Gillibrand has often been referred to as "anti-immigrant," and with good reason. Here is Gillibrand's description of her views on immigration taken from the House of Representatives website before her profile was removed:
Our immigration system is broken and hard-working Americans often bear the brunt of the federal government’s failure to secure our borders and provide adequate protections for the American worker and the shrinking American Middle Class. I believe the first step to fixing our immigration system is to stop the flow of illegal immigration. This can be accomplished by securing the Southern border, enforcing the employment laws on the books and ensuring that our farmers and businesses have the adequate number of legal workers after they have exhausted their search for American workers. I am firmly against providing amnesty to illegal immigrants. In my first year in Congress, I passed legislation on the floor of the House of Representatives that would bar employers, who knowingly hire illegal immigrants, from receiving federal contracts.
In addition, I am a sponsor of the SAVE Act, which will hire 8,000 new Customs and Border Patrol agents, while utilizing new technology and fencing along the border. I have also sponsored the Legal Employee Verification Act, which would require all employers to verify, through the Social Security Administration, that their employees are legal. In addition,I support reforming and streamlining the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) so that the extraordinary casework backlog will be addressed within two years. This is especially important for the thousands of farmers in our district who need legal workers. I am confident that Congress can enact reform without providing amnesty to illegal immigrants. This is a national and economic security issue for our country and I am committed to fighting for the American worker.
As the incoming Senator for a state with a large immigrant population, Gillibrand should expect to feel the heat from the pro-migrant advocates. The New York Immigration Coalition and others have already voiced their concern over Clinton's replacement.
President Obama released a statement today praising Gillibrand's appointment. Since Gillibrand opposes a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, which is in direct opposition to the Obama administration's posted agenda, it will be interesting to see how this plays out.
Many hope that Gillibrand's immigration views will shift to a more immigrant-friendly position once she takes on the responsibility of representing a broader constituency. She should be officially sworn in as New York's newest senator this Sunday.
More About Kirsten Gillibrand
Linda Lowen, About.com's Guide to Women's Issues, provides a recent profile on Governor David Paterson's pick for the U.S. Senate.
Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images
Comments
If you are a legal immigrant you have nothing to fear from Gillibrand or the police. If you are here in violation of immigration laws, then you should be deported. What is so hard about respecting the laws of the country to which you wish to emigrate?
I’m applying for Legal permanent residency here in the United States of America, I agree about what Daddio says, Nothing to worry if all papers Legal…
It’s really not so simple. If you are a citizen, it takes a year to bring your immigrant wife to the US from Mexico. If you are a legal resident, it takes 7 years to bring your wife and children. Imagine the hardship of having to be separated from your family for so long. They cannot even get a visitor’s visa. There are also illegal children who were brought here by their parents long ago. They have grown up in America, gone to school, and grown roots here as deep as your own children. For the most part, these people are not “stealing jobs,” they just want to be united with their families. We need to make some humanitarian considerations. I have opened my home to immigrants and see so many good qualities, human values that get overlooked in these broadfaced, sweeping, political ideologies.
i am last 11 year in us. my wife last 7 year.i have 5 year old boy.i work and i pay tex. but where i work onwer also do not pay proper tax. i come here for family.i apply for green card.last 2000 year.i wating long time to get my 2 kids here.i dont know. when us gov make low. i see every onwer and his account how chet us gov to tax filling. i read you have plan to $2000.00 fine+five year tax (1000.00)so total is $7000.00 per person. your counting 12 millian illagle people. so try to think.we save over country form bed econime. i hope you think my reqest.
12 MILION ILEGALS WILL BE LIKE AT LEAST 80 MILLION BECAUSE THESE PEOPLE WILL CLAIM THAT OTHER MENBERS OF THEIR FAMILY KIDS ARE THEIR KIDS JUST TO BRING THEM LEGALLY TO THIS COUNTRY THEY ARE ALREADY FOR YEARS KIDS WITH PASSORTS OF AMERICAN BORN CHILDREN THAT ENTERED THRU OUR CUSTOMS THEY GO TO OUR SCHOOLS AND MILKING SOCIAL BENEFITS AT OUR EXPENSE THESE PARENTS WORK FOR CASH AND MANY OF THEM HAVE CHILDREN WITH DIFERENT YOUNG GIRLS THAT ARE NOT EVEN FIT TO BE PARENTS
America can no longer afford to absorb the illegal immigrants and the related costs. Just 3 years ago our economy was in great shape with unemployment down, stocks up, and housing booming.
Life has changed so much since then, none of us could have imagined how much damage could be done to our nations financial health in less than 3 years.
Some “safe haven” states have seen their budgets slashed, especially California where state bankruptcy is a tangible threat to our entire nation.
Border towns are in chaos, violence erupts daily. A human freeway runs through some American’s back yards.
Ex-cons are just released because no one can spare a dime to monitor illegals.
America needs to wake up and bite the illegal immigrant bullet before it becomes the country where the majority of residents are not even it’s citizens.