Looking at a Senator James Lankford Email
John R. Houk
© March 15, 2018
I live in Oklahoma. One of my Senators is Republican James Lankford.
Yesterday I received what is probably a form email from Senator Lankford
addressing Immigration reform and Border Security.
Since my name is used in the salutation, the Senator’s email
is in response to a petitioned I signed or an immigration reform organization’s
form email that I electronically signed. Either way, my signature was sent so
long ago I don’t recall who I partnered with to share my feelings as an
Oklahoman voter to Senator Lankford.
I vaguely remember that the issue was the Senator was
supportive of a Border Wall for National Security against illegal border crossings.
I do not recall the specifics of my displeasure with the Senator I did vote for
in the past. The Senator Lankford email is what jogged my sketchy memory.
I did respond to Senator Lankford’s explanation of his
Senate voting options. You should read the email I am cross posting, but since
my response is shorter, I am posting that first. Some will agree with my
thoughts. Some will partially agree. I have a suspicion some will strongly
disagree with my favorability of inclusion of current benefactors of the
so-called DACA dudes Obama unconstitutionally allowed to remain in the USA. The
irony is I am with President Trump on giving immigration status to 1.8 million
illegals as opposed to the fake Dem-proposal of (I think) 600,000 illegals.
Here was my email response to Senator Lankford:
Senator Lankford,
I’d rather jump at 1.8
million employed illegal immigrants to have a Green Card to become legal. I do
not consider drug trafficking, human trafficking or gang membership to be
gainful employment contributing to the benefit of the communities they live in.
Those illegals need to be arrested then deported or imprisoned depending on the
laws broken other than being just illegal.
BUT, before any move to
legally absorbing gainfully employed illegals, border security needs to be
enhanced. I appreciate your suggestion of expanding technology for a less
expensive securing of the border, but I gotta tell ya; I don’t care how many
billions taxpayers pay for a wall built even in difficult terrain. I’ve
listened to various proposals by the private contractors and I am aware it is a
physical possibility to accomplish a border wall. Combining tech with a wall
provides at the very least that the government is serious about stemming the
flow of illegal immigrants into the USA.
I am confidant many of my
fellow Oklahoman voters feel the same way. So, by all means. Work on reforming
the status of gainfully employed illegals, throw the book at the horrid
criminal illegals and dear god, please end chain immigration in favor of merit
immigration. That would make this voter happy.
And below is Senator James Lankford’s email sent to me and
probably his Oklahoma constituents.
JRH 3/15/18
*************************
By Senator James Lankford
Sent 3/14/18 9:18 PM
Sent from Lankford.Senate.gov
Dear Mr. John Houk,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and concerns on the
congressional plan to fix our nation's broken immigration system. I have
heard from other Oklahomans like you who also sent emails and letters or made
phone calls to share their thoughts and ideas on proposals to repair our
nation's immigration policies.
As a member of the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs Committee, I remain actively involved in conversations and
negotiations surrounding proposals to repair the faulty immigration policies in
our country. My staff and I have had daily conversations and meetings for
the past several months with Members of all political parties, in both Chambers
of Congress, and with the Administration to develop policies that focus on the
economic and security needs of our nation and can receive enough votes to
become law.
Though immigration has been a contentious issue for some
time, its resolution did not have a deadline. However, on September 5,
2017, President Trump rescinded the 2012 Obama Administration initiative
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) because while he agreed that DACA
recipients should receive protection, it is inappropriate for any president to
create the program through executive action. DACA provided temporary
relief from removal for individuals who entered the United States as minors,
most often with their parents, but it did not provide legal certainty for the
DACA recipients or provide additional security for our nation.
When President Trump rescinded the program, he set the
effective end date to be March 5, 2018, which gave Congress six months to
provide legislative permanency for these individuals and time to include
provisions to prevent a similar situation from happening in the future It
is worth noting that DACA-eligible individuals were at no time given the
opportunity to go through the naturalization process unless they returned to
their home countries for at least 10 years and then began the application
process.
As you may know, the White House released its framework for immigration
reform and border security on January 25, 2018. I share
the opinions of the President and other Administration officials who believe a
permanent solution for individuals who qualify for DACA should be paired with
border and entry security, reasonable limitations on family unification
visas, and the elimination of the convoluted visa lottery. The framework
of this agreement was based on four pillars that Democrats and Republicans
agreed to with President Trump during a White House meeting earlier in January.
As part of the negotiations to fund the government
after a shutdown in January, during
the week of February 12, the Senate opened the floor for proposals and debate
to solve our nation's immigration issues. Throughout the week several
groups of Senators proposed a variety of plans and ideas to create a solution
for DACA-eligible individuals, but only one of the proposals, the SECURE and
SUCCEED Act, included the necessary reforms in the White House framework and
could have received enough votes to also pass the House. I joined
Senators Grassley (IA), Cornyn (TX), Tillis (NC), Perdue (GA), Cotton
(AR), Ernst (IA), Corker (TN), Isakson (GA) and Alexander (TN) to
introduce the Act.
Each of the four bills debated in the Senate received
bipartisan support, but every bill fell short of the 60 votes needed to proceed
to a final vote.
I have heard from some Oklahomans who have asked why I did
not support alternate proposals that contained aspects of the four
pillars. For example, one proposal included funding
for border security, but not until 2020. Even then, the bill restricted
how the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) could use those fund, and it
included no enforcement provisions. The bill created a convoluted process
that could lead to a rapid pathway to citizenship for a large group of undocumented
individuals.
For all other undocumented individuals in the country, it
provided deferred action and a guarantee they could remain in the country
illegally unless they committed a felony or three
misdemeanors. Regarding family unification, the bill's proposal did
nothing to help clear the visa backlog of family members who have already been
sponsored by American citizens. Another proposal provided
a pathway to citizenship for many individuals with a variety of immigration
statuses but authorized no funds for border security. These provisions
made the proposals impossible to support.
I believe strong border and entry security is an
important step to necessary step to reform our immigration system. Every
nation, including ours, has the right to secure its borders and control
its entry process for safety and economic development. It is
important to remember that the southern border is full of diverse terrain
including mountains, desert, and the Rio Grande River. I do not
believe a 2,000-mile fence alone is the best and most cost-effective
solution. Technology like tethered drones, seismic sensors, and
vehicle barriers are very effective in many areas of the desert Southwest.
The SECURE and SUCCEED Act appropriates $25 billion for a
variety of border and entry security. DHS has
developed a ten-year plan for increased personnel and for a variety of
infrastructure such as a wall system, fencing, levees, technology, and other
physical barriers. It also included necessary methods of
enforcement, such as the permanent authorization of the voluntary
electronic employment verification system (E-Verify) and the enactment of
Kate's law.
In addition to border and entry security, Oklahomans on both
sides of the immigration debate are rightly concerned about permanency for DACA
recipients. The SECURE and SUCCEED Act provides an opportunity for 1.8
million DACA-eligible immigrants to earn naturalization in 10 to 12
years. Much of this proposal mimics my original proposal from September
25, 2017, called the SUCCEED Act. You can read more about the SUCCEED
Act on my website.
It is important to note that under DACA, recipients
were not granted legal immigrant status, were not put
on a pathway to citizenship, and did not have the right to
vote in our elections. Additionally, they are barred from receiving
any federal public benefits, which would continue while the individual has
conditional permanent residency.
Regarding family unification, our current system allows
individuals who have earned a naturalization to petition for numerous extended
family members, who in some instances may not otherwise qualify for a
visa. The SECURE and SUCCEED act would place reasonable limitations on
family-based immigration to allow spouses and minor children visas to immigrate
with their parent or spouse. Other family members could still come to the
U.S. for extended visits, but they would not get automatic citizenship
eligibility. This proposal is similar to the proposal made by the
Clinton Administration in the 90s and the “Gang of Eight” bill in
2018. It is important to note that this change would not affect
individuals who have already petitioned for extended family members to enter
the United States.
Currently, the Diversity Visa program provides green
cards for up to 50,000 immigrants each year from countries with low rates of
emigration to the United States. Prospective immigrants register
with the Department of State, which then selects applicants at random.
Both Republicans and Democrats have supported legislation to get rid of the
diversity visa program in the past. Similar to the Senate's proposal in
2013, the SECURE and SUCCEED Act would end the lottery program and reallocate
the visas to eliminate the existing family-based and employment-based immigration
backlogs.
As I have said before, our nation was built on the strength
and diversity of legal immigrants. However, unchecked
illegal immigration can create a serious threat to our nation's security
and a financial strain on our economy. While I believe that all people
are made in God's image and deserve dignity and respect, it is reasonable to
expect those entering and living within our borders to obey the laws of our
nation. Although the debate can get heated, we must remember that immigration
is about real, live human beings, not just numbers on a page.
Although the SECURE and SUCCEED Act was limited to the four
pillars I mentioned above, there are many other areas of our nation's
immigration system that need to be repaired by Congress, such as visa and
Temporary Protected Status reform.
Congress needs to create clear and consistent immigration
laws that establishes a better legal immigration system to
disincentivize illegal immigration. As you may know, the March 5th
deadline for DACA recipients became somewhat obsolete due to temporary federal court orders, but I
will continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, in
both Chambers of Congress, and in the Administration to come up with long-term
solutions to fit the needs to the American people.
I hope this information is helpful to you. Please
feel free to contact me again via email at www.lankford.senate.gov for
more information about my work in the United States Senate for all of us.
In God We Trust,
James Lankford
United States Senator
_____________________
Immigration Reform
Thoughts
Looking at a Senator James
Lankford Email
John R. Houk
© March 15, 2018
___________________
Response from Senator
James Lankford
Senator Lankford About
Page
Senator James Lankford is
committed to the protection of the future for our families, the transparency
and efficiency of the federal
After serving four years in
the U.S. House of Representatives, James was elected to the U.S. Senate to
complete an unexpired term on November 4, 2014 and re-elected to a full
six-year senate term on November 8, 2016.
As chairman of the Senate
Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs and Federal Management, Lankford fights
unnecessary and burdensome regulation and advocates for a more restrained
federal government.
Personal faith, local
decision-making, and opportunity for every person, regardless of their
background, are core values for Senator Lankford. Before his time in Congress,
from 1995 to 2009, James served as Director of Student Ministry at the Baptist
Convention of Oklahoma and Director of the Falls Creek Youth Camp, the largest
youth camp in the United States, with more than 51,000 individuals attending
each summer.
James lives in Edmond with
his wife Cindy. They have been married for 25 years and have two daughters:
Hannah and Jordan. He enjoys spending time with his family, sport shooting, and
reading.
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