Thaddeus McCotter - Immigration

Valley Patriot Interview

In August of 2011, Congressman McCotter was interviewed by the Valley Patriot in Concord New Hampshire. On the subject of immigration, Congressman McCotter stated that the US must remove the incentives for illegal aliens to come to the US. He states that both bog governent and big business want the cheap labor.

McCotter: I mean, immigration isn’t really being talked about, either. We need a comprehensive approach. It’s not just border security; we have to relieve the pressure on the borders. The way to do that is to dis-incentivize. The very logical decision for many of them [illegals] is to come to the United States. If you think about it, most of them are being enticed and exploited here. When the government doesn’t enforce border security, business offers jobs and doesn’t care if you’re legal or you’re not. When sanctuary cities allow taxpayers money to be utilized for these individuals, when you talk about amnesty down the road… I never blame the illegal immigrants, when you have government, labor and a business enticing them to come here it’s a very rational calculation for them to come. So dis-incentivizing them from coming has to be the top priority. When you are living under an oppressive government that wants to kill you and your family, like what happened to my father in law, those should be the first people we let into the country. Then assimilation is the key and English should be the official language. That helps the immigrant to the country.

Tom: How about building a wall?

McCotter: You have to punish the employers who hire them. If you do the things I talked about and dis-incentivize… and you also diplomatically engage these countries so they have certain developing free market democratic institutions, we need to put pressure on them to make their countries better. You can never build enough walls, you can’t build enough anything if they still have an incentive to come here. Because of the human calculation nothing is going to change their way of life where they are and people are going to want to continue to come here illegally. We also have to get serious with other countries that are encouraging their people to sneak over the border.

Tom: So you don’t support a wall?

McCotter: Well I supported the wall, I supported the fence, yeah. We need something to slow it down but the wall isn’t the complete answer. Building a wall is part of an overall package.

The national guard clearly has to be deployed by the states, I don’t want the federal government doing that, we have a clear problem with the drug cartels. The other problem [is that] the federal government is punishing states like Arizona who want to enforce the federal laws, and at the same time they are rewarding sanctuary cities who are violating federal law. That’s crazy!

Christine: We are dealing a lot with “Secure Communities” in our area. Our governor refuses to sign on to it. (Secure communities is a program where local police can share their arrest information with the federal government and immigration). Some of the public hearings we went to were such an eye opener. We actually had a city administrator from Chelsea Massachusetts get up and say that she was proud to make that city a sanctuary city.

McCotter: That’s crazy! It’s crazy because I don’t think they understand what the underlying philosophy is. The ability of a municipality or a state to nullify a federal law is called nullification. It was the brainchild of John C. Calhoun. It’s the theory that lead us to the civil war, and whether or not federal law was supreme, or a state can nullify. The philosophy behind Sanctuary Cities is that they think they can take federal law and nullify it and do whatever they want. Well, that’s anarchy. It’s the height of arrogance of the leftists. It’s ridiculous. And again, it’s the combination of big government and big labor who want to get their hands on these [illegal] immigrants, to depress wages, get more low skilled employees, and it’s not fair to those people who came here legally! The wages should rise with the free market, but if you can depress it by breaking the law and bringing in people illegally and employing them, and having the taxpayers pick up the tab for all their services, that’s just crazy.

2012 Presidential Campaign Website Statements

Securing the Borders

Big government, businesses, and others have combined to entice illegal immigrants to come to America and then exploit them. This is unfair to naturalized citizens and legal immigrants who have observed our laws. But we must not stigmatize illegal immigrants, the vast majority of whom are honest, industrious people fleeing tyranny and poverty to seek liberty and prosperity. We must fix the core problems that have caused this untenable crisis.

• Secure our borders.
• Punish businesses that employ illegal workers, unions that refuse to report them on job sites and within their memberships, and state and local governments that flout federal immigration laws by establishing sanctuary cities.
• No amnesty for illegal immigrants.
• No taxpayers’ money to illegal immigrants. 

Voting Record

Border Tunnel Prevention Act of 2006

The Border Tunnel Prevention Act sought to impose a 20 year prison term on anyone building a tunnel to bring drugs or people across the border, and a 10 year term on anyone allowing a tunnel to be built on their property. The act passed almost unanimously in the House in roll call 469, but never came up for a vote in the Senate. Thaddeus McCotter voted in favor of the Border Tunnel Prevention Act of 2006.

Immigration Law Enforcement Act of 2006

In 2006, an effort was made to pass legislation (HR 6095) to give state and local law enforcement \"the inherent authority to investigate, identify, arrest, detain, or transfer to federal custody aliens in the United States\". The legislation also cracked down on smugglers of illegal immigrants. While the legislation passed the house on roll call 468 with bipartisan support, it was tabled in the Senate and never came to a vote. Thaddeus McCotter voted in favor of this legislation to enforce immigration laws in the US.

Secure Fence Act of 2006

Another piece of immigration law which actually passed in 2006 was called the Secure Fence Act of 2006 (HR 6061). The legislation was a series of requirements to monitor the border with both manpower and electronic surveillance. The legislation passed the house in roll call 446 with bi-partisan support. Thaddeus McCotter voted in favor of this legislation to secure the border.

Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005

In 2005, the House passed the Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005. The act was an attempt to create a more secure border. The act passed the House in a 239-182 vote, but was not voted on in the Senate. Thaddeus McCotter voted in favor of this legislation.

Undocumented Alien Emergency Medical Assistance Amendments

The Undocumented Alien Emergency Medical Assistance Amendments was an attempt to amend the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 to impose conditions on Federal reimbursement of emergency health services furnished to undocumented aliens. The attempt failed in a 331-88 vote. Thaddeus McCotter voted in favor of the Undocumented Alien Emergency Medical Assistance Amendments.

Sponsored and Cosponsored Legislation

English Language Unity Act of 2009 - Cosponsor

Makes English the official language of the United States. Requires, subject to exceptions and rules of construction, that: (1) official functions of the United States be conducted in English; and (2) all naturalization ceremonies be conducted in English. Establishes a uniform English language rule for naturalization. Makes English language requirements and workplace policies, whether in the public or private sector, presumptively consistent with the laws of the United States.

Birthright Citizenship Act of 2009 - Cosponsor

Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to consider a person born in the United States "subject to the jurisdiction" of the United States for citizenship at birth purposes if the person is born in the United States of parents, one of whom is: (1) a U.S. citizen or national; (2) a lawful permanent resident alien whose residence is in the United States; or (3) an alien performing active service in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Prevention of Unsafe Licensing Act - Cosponsor

To enhance national security by restricting access of illegal aliens to driver's licenses and State-issued identification documents.

English Language Unity Act of 2007 - Cosponsor

To declare English as the official language of the United States, to establish a uniform English language rule for naturalization, and to avoid misconstructions of the English language texts of the laws of the United States, pursuant to Congress' powers to provide for the general welfare of the United States and to establish a uniform rule of naturalization under article I, section 8, of the Constitution.

Birthright Citizenship Act of 2007 - Cosponsor

To amend section 301 of the Immigration and Nationality Act to clarify those classes of individuals born in the United States who are nationals and citizens of the United States at birth.

Resolution to Enforce Immigration Laws - Cosponsor

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Administration should rigorously enforce the laws of the United States to substantially reduce illegal immigration and greatly improve border security.

Secure Borders FIRST - Cosponsor

To strengthen enforcement of immigration laws, and gain operational control over the borders of the United States, and for other purposes.

Limited English Assistance - Cosponsor

Declares Executive Order 13166, "Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency," to be null and void.Prohibits the use of funds for the promulgation or enforcement of an executive order that creates an entitlement to services provided in a language other than English.

Common Sense English Act - Cosponsor

Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to declare that, notwithstanding any other provision of the equal employment opportunities provisions of the Act, it is not an unlawful employment practice for an employer to require employees to speak English while engaged in work.

References

[1] Website: The Valley Patriot Article: An Interview with Presidential Candidate Thaddeus McCotter Author: CHRISTINE MORABITO & TOM DUGGAN Accessed on: 08/30/2011

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