By North Carolina Senator Fred Smith

November 16, 2006

We are a nation of immigrants. We are also a nation of laws. Without our immigrants, America would not be such a force for powerful ideals and the economic engine of the world. Without laws, America's promise of freedom would be just a promise.

To balance our respect for the immigrants who have built this country with our respect for the rule of law, the Framers charged Congress with establishing uniform Rules of Naturalization and defending the borders of our sovereign nation. Today, Congress is failing to execute this important mission.

Experts estimate over ten million illegal immigrants live in the United States.[1] Over 300,000 illegal immigrants live in North Carolina and the number is predicted to grow to 500,000 by 2010.[2] The governors of New Mexico and Arizona have declared a "state of emergency" in response to the growing numbers of illegal immigrants who break through their borders. Illegal immigrants in North Carolina are responsible for an increasing number of drunk driving arrests and in my district, we see illegal immigrants contribute to gang activity and methamphetamine production.[3] Across the state, we've seen illegal immigrants fill our schools, our hospitals, our roads, and even our jails at a cost that renowned economist David Denslow estimates is close to $1,800 per immigrant per year.[4]

If millions of illegal immigrants can break through our borders with just hopes and dreams, I'm certain terrorists can break through our borders with the means to cause a nightmare. Congress must act immediately to secure our borders. Border security is vital to protecting our homeland security and it is imperative to halting our immigration crisis. That responsibility lies in Washington, DC with Congress and the White House.

Over time, Congress has created multiple entities, like the bureau of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the US Border Patrol, the Executive Office for Immigration Review, or the bureau of Immigration and Naturalization Services. And over time, Congress has tried to make these agencies more effective by putting them into the Department of Commerce and Labor, the Department of Justice, and now the Department of Homeland Security.

The bottom line is that while Congress keeps playing with organizational charts, millions of illegal immigrants have poured into our borders and our immigration problem has quickly become a crisis. The absence of effective border controls means that our immigration policy has recently not been set by Congress, it has been set by the millions who sneak into our nation, on their own terms - not ours. Congress needs to move past bureaucratic Washington DC nonsense to hire more Border Patrol Agents and Immigration Enforcement Agents instead of shifting responsibility and blame from one agency to the next. These agents must patrol our borders and secure ports of entry - as well as more vigorously enforce immigration laws at the worksite.

Furthermore, Congress must enhance the ability of employers to verify the legal status of individuals before they are hired by streamlining the employer verification process and requiring all employers to participate in it. At the state level, Democratic Speaker Jim Black (Ed Note: Jim Black has since been convicted of accepting cash to influence legislation and no longer holds this position) must take up the legislation passed by the Senate to strengthen the integrity of our drivers' licenses by immediately halting the acceptance of taxpayer ID numbers as valid forms of identification.

Congress must also make it clear that amnesty for illegal aliens is unacceptable. Providing incentives for illegal aliens to stay in our country makes little sense. It undermines the rule of law and it taxes our infrastructure. Without strict enforcement of workplace laws, North Carolina will quickly become overwhelmed by the reduction of state resources due to illegal immigration.

There is a reason that people want to come to our country. America has always been a land of opportunity where with hard work and heart you can become whatever you want. That ethic has made our country great. Its promise, however, is rooted in a fundamental respect for the rule of law - a fact which keeps our country free. Undermining our laws by allowing those who refuse to play by the rules unchecked access into our nation is a mistake. Securing our borders is important for our economy and vital for our national security. Congress needs to take excuses off the table and get the job done.

Fred Smith is proud to represent Johnston and Wayne Counties as a citizen-legislator in the North Carolina Senate. Previously a Johnston County Commissioner, he has also been a successful attorney, entrepreneur, farmer/cattleman and homebuilder.

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[1] Passel, Jeffrey. "Estimates of the Size and Characteristics of the Undocumented Population." Pew Hispanic Center: 3/21/2005.
[2] See Rakesh Kochhar, Roberto Suro, and Sonya Tafoya's "The New Latino South: The Context and Consequences of Rapid Population Growth." Pew Hispanic Center: 7/26/2005.
[3] See Gary Wright's "DWI Arrest Rate Worries Hispanic Leaders in NC." Charlotte Observer: 5/8/2005.
[4] Brown, Peter. "Immigration Costs More than Thought." Orlando Sentinel: 10/14/2005.