House members team up to oppose amnesty

By Taylor Rose

WASHINGTON – The immigration proposal by the Senate’s “Gang of Eight” is coming soon, but a new “Gang of Six” in the U.S. House already is jerking on the reins.

The “Gang of Six”?

“It is a gang that has developed out of frustration, because everybody else is having these secret talks and secret powwows of coming out with a 1,500-page bill that is going to be dropped on America, and we felt like there was a need for people to stand up,” Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, told WND.

Leading the House charge along with Gohmert against any amnesty proposals are Reps. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn.; Lou Barletta, R-Pa.; Mo Brooks, R-Ala.; Steve King, R-Iowa; and Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif.

Gohmert criticized details of the bill that have leaked from the Senate, asserting that “when you talk about legalization of people who are illegally here you get … a magnet drawing people into this country, some for jobs, some coming for amnesty.”

“We know there are drug cartels, we know there’s al-Qaida … but they all know when there is talk of legalization, if they can just get here they’ve got a great shot of being part of that group that gets amnesty,” he said.

Gohmert said the bill will lead to a larger Democrat voting base.

“The people that are coming over … when they are granted amnesty, they will feel beholden” to the person that “they are being told gave them amnesty, and they will vote for that person’s party,” he said.

Gang of Six member Brooks said that he is taking his stand because he “will not ratify any illegal conduct with my vote.”

He said amnesty is just a “ratification of illegal behavior.”

If “you grant amnesty you will create a bigger problem long term, just as the amnesty of 1986 created a much larger long term problem,” he warned.

Gohmert said the problem has “accelerated” since the advent of the amnesty debate.

“In Texas … we have two to three times as many [illegal aliens] coming in now,” he said.

He told WND of hearing firsthand from concerned U.S. Border Patrol agents who have heard captured illegal aliens ask, “Where do I go to get amnesty?”

Gohmert said the illegal aliens “fully understand what is going on” and believe the plan will grant amnesty, regardless of denials.

He and his colleagues, he said, are proposing solutions that will enhance national security, secure the border and protect the American working class.

“The very first thing is to make sure the border is secure,” Gohmert said.

From there, Gohmert advocates reforms to the visa program to prevent illegal aliens from overstaying their visas.

“Around 40 percent of the people here illegally … came in legally on visas and just overstayed.”

He furthermore called for additional visa reforms to encourage high skilled, foreign students to stay in the U.S. upon graduation.

“It ought to be easier for high-skilled people to come into this country,” Gohmert told WND.

It’s just common sense, he said.

“If we’re going to pay for people’s education, why wouldn’t we want to give them some preferential treatment for them to stay and work once we give them high skills rather than sending them off to some other country?”

Brooks strongly advocates protecting blue collar workers, saying that illegal aliens have had an “adverse effect on low-skilled wage earners” by taking their jobs.

“Low-skilled labor suppresses the wages of blue collar workers who are already struggling,” he said.

He added that America needs to have a market-based plan that prioritizes immigrants based on their skills that would benefit the nation and its economy.

Brooks added: “People need to understand that America is the most compassionate country in the world when it comes to letting people come into our country and settle here.”

But he said American cannot afford to subsidize those who come illegally.

Gohmert warned that if amnesty is granted, illegal aliens will have access to Obamacare, especially since E-Verify will not be enforced under the current immigration reform terms.

WND reported in 2009 during the beginning of the Obamacare debate that there were loopholes for illegal aliens to have access to health care in the Obamacare package.

To help soften the negative effects of Obamacare, Gohmert said that to get a visa, the applicant “has to show that you are already covered under health insurance for the time that you’re here.”

When asked by WND if illegal aliens having access to Obamacare could bankrupt the United States and turn the nation into Greece, Gohmert said “it absolutely could.”

The Daily Caller reported Obamacare “could increase costs to the federal government by between $120 billion to $200 billion.”

Taylor Rose

Taylor Rose is a Washington, D.C., staff reporter for WND. Read more of Taylor Rose's articles here.


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