Bill Foster - Take 2

Gee, it was last July when I first sat down with Bill Foster to talk about immigration. I went to visit him again today.

First, the official explanation. You know that Homeland Security warning sent out to police departments to keep an eye on rightwing extremists? They call out people with strong views on abortion, gun owner rights and immigration.

Well, according to Foster that report was ordered by George Bush and it was just being released upon completion.

I'll take him at his word, but it doesn't say much for the way the executive branch handles things. Then again, it was Bush ICE agents who raided a factory in Washington state and Secretary Napolitano released the 27 banditos and gave them work permits. I guess they pick and choose the laws in DC.

I asked Foster about worksite raids and he didn't answer me. He refered me to his website. He's moderate on the issue but not willing to be vocal about it. (Unlike Gutierrez, Bill Foster isn't going around the country holding pep rallies with illegal aliens.)

Here's Foster's official view, pasted from his website.

Immigration

The United States is a nation of laws with a proud tradition of extending citizenship to legal immigrants in our country. I believe that we must secure our nation’s borders and act to improve workplace enforcement while addressing the underlying causes of illegal immigration. As Congress begins to work to alleviate the growing issues surrounding immigration, I will continue to support reasonable, comprehensive reforms to our immigration system that do not reward those who break the law.

Rather than dealing with one aspect of our immigration crisis, it will be best to consider such measures as part of broader immigration reform that deals simultaneously with all aspects of this problem: secure borders, rapid and reliable workplace enforcement, background checks, and realistic and humane quotas that meet the needs of our businesses and communities.

Concerning border security, we need to be prepared to spend a significant amount of money to secure the border. We must greatly increase the number of agents at the border, and also provide these agents with the tools, including roads and physical barriers, that they need to perform their duties fully and efficiently. The relationship that Border Patrol Agents have with the Mexican government needs to be improved so that we can more easily identify who can and cannot legally enter the U.S., and also expedite the deportation process.

While border enforcement must remain a priority, immigration reform must include workplace enforcement as a key element, like a strengthened and more reliable form of the e-verify program. Employers need to have a fast and reliable way to check if potential employees are legally able to work in the United States so that they can be held responsible for legal hiring practices.
I would like to see an accurate national database of American citizens, so that border patrol and employers can both quickly determine a person's citizenship status.

http://foster.house.gov/Issues/Issue/?IssueID=4338