About Senator Al Franken:
On Tuesday, July 7, 2009, Saturday Night Live alumnus Al Franken became Minnesota's junior senator. The swearing-in comes a year after Franken ran for U.S. Senator and a week after the Minnesota Supreme Court unanimously upheld Franken's narrow victory in the State's senate race, which had been challenged by incumbent Norm Coleman.
Following are the new Senator's views on a variety of important immigration issues.
Border Fence:
"No wall is high enough to keep people from coming over it – or under it – if there are jobs waiting on the other side."
Path to Citizenship:
"We should look to bring [undocumented immigrants] out of the shadows and put them on a path to citizenship, providing that they:
have paid taxes
have not committed any crimes since coming to this country
speak, or are learning to speak, English
pay a nominal fine"
"We should also ensure that those immigrants currently in the process of becoming citizens are not disadvantaged by these reforms."
Deportation:
"I don’t believe it’s practical to deport the 10-12 million undocumented immigrants currently residing in the United States."
Worksite Enforcement:
"Employers who disregard the law should be actually punished – with fines and, if necessary, incarceration."
"Worker identification should be truly tamper-proof. Fortunately, we have better technology than we did in 1986, so that goal is in reach with the help of biometrics. Of course, we must safeguard our civil liberties and privacy."
Guest Worker Programs:
"I support guest worker programs for seasonal jobs. Last year, we saw crops go un-harvested in the Northwest because of the stalemate on immigration reform. But I am leery of guest worker programs that would create a permanent underclass of exploited workers or drive down the wages of American workers."
Working With Mexico:
"We should re-examine the economic and trade policies that have contributed to illegal immigration. Working to improve economic
conditions in Mexico, which we’ve tried and failed to do with NAFTA, could help reduce the incentive many have to attempt to enter the United States illegally."
Source: Al Franken's campaign website
