Lance Sigmon on Illegal Immigration

We are a nation of immigrants, as almost all of our ancestors came here from "somewhere else." For more than two centuries, the ethnicity and heritage of these arriving peoples have enriched our society-but we are also a nation of laws, and nothing good can come from people who enter America by ignoring our laws.

What made other generations of immigrants welcome here was their eagerness to assimilate into American society, by establishing their homes, settling into their jobs, educating their children, paying their taxes, going to church-and learning to speak English.

Recently, immigrants that sneak into our country illegally do not seem to especially want to become Americans. They want to come and go as they please, without contributing to the overall good of our country. They do not pay taxes, yet they utilize our roads, our educational system, our social services, and our emergency services, just to name a few. They do not learn the laws of our land or the rules of our roads, much less obtaining a proper driver's license. They work, many times illegally, and instead of spending the money locally to benefit our economy, they send much of their money back to their home countries.

Securing our borders with an effective combination of fencing, surveillance technology and additional Border Patrol and law enforcement agents should be our top priority, since immigration is both an economic and a national security issue. Most current illegal aliens are national security risks, because we don't know who they are, where they are, or why they are here. Many who come here illegally have criminal records in their own countries - so why should we expect them to follow the laws here?

Anyone caught trying to enter our country illegally must be quickly deported. They must understand that they have forfeited any future opportunity to enter legally or become American citizens.

The federal government must enforce its existing laws. Without an effective and workable plan to put an end to this problem, we will be faced with each state developing their own plan to deal with illegal immigrants. Already we have many cities that are considered "sanctuary cities," either formally or informally, that purposely do not enforce federal immigration laws. Some cities have written policies prohibiting law enforcement officers, social workers, educators, or health care providers from specifically asking a person's residence status. These cities allow illegal immigrants to benefit from government services without fear of deportation. I believe that federal funding should be withheld from any city that purposely ignores federal immigration laws.

Further, I would vote to severely limit or remove altogether any provision of benefits and protections to illegal aliens, such as Social Security, Medicaid, food stamps, higher education tuition or other social services that are provided to our citizens. Businesses also must be responsible for their hiring practices. The federal government must simplify the process to check residence status of immigrants, therefore allowing quick and easy information to prospective employers before the immigrant is hired. If businesses do not confirm the legal status of their employees, or knowingly hire illegal immigrants, I would support strict fines against these employers for ignoring federal law.

I do not support amnesty or other special pathways to citizenship for illegals. I believe that we need to reduce the bureaucratic red tape for those persons who wish to come here legally and contribute to our society, but we must screen carefully to ensure that another society's problems (as in criminals) do not become our problem. We absolutely must consider this a national security issue - if we cannot control illegal immigration into America, how do we think we can stop a terrorist or someone who wants to harm Americans from entering?

Lance Sigmon on Creating Jobs

I believe it's time for our federal government to get serious about allowing U.S. companies to trade on an equal footing with other countries and creating an
environment that will encourage the vast private sector to create new jobs in economically depressed areas like ours.

The Trade Adjustment Act (TAA), which assists displaced workers with federal benefits, such as financial aid for education and relocation assistance, was a good start. But providing these services without encouraging job growth is pointless.

As a result of recent job losses, many people in our district find it necessary to travel 100 miles or more per day to find significant and suitable employment - a trip which can be a considerable burden in view of rising gas prices. Others who are unable to find a full-time job end up working at two-or even three-part-time jobs that offer no employee benefits in order to "make ends meet."

My primary opponent, Congressman McHenry, has advertised himself for almost four years as a "small business owner." He claims to understand the needs of business owners in our area and how government can play a role in creating jobs. But there's no record that the small business that Rep. McHenry claimed to open in 2004, "McHenry Real Estate," ever really existed, much less created a single job. The truth seems to be that he's never had a "real job" outside of politics. Since he's been in Congress, it's also obvious from his record that he has had no original ideas about how to bring jobs to our area or has any plans in the future to do so. False promises and sham claims are not the kinds of ethics you expect of your elected officials-you deserve better.

Two important ways in which the federal government can encourage job growth are to restrain its excessive spending habits and channel federal funds to areas like ours to help persuade businesses to relocate to our District. Reining in wasteful government spending removes the pressure to increase taxes on all types of businesses and individuals. I truly believe that most business owners would agree that overall economic prosperity is increased when the federal government takes a smaller tax bite out of their profits, allowing them more funds to raise salaries or expand their businesses. Additionally, federal funds targeted toward maintaining a modern infrastructure (roads, bridges, etc.) will help promote expansion to our area.

I will fight to limit wasteful and needless spending, to ensure fair trade agreements, to secure federal funds to improve our infrastructure and continually look for ways to encourage industries to relocate to our area.