Speaker Johnson Is Right: Stop the Fake Border Bill

House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks while standing with Republican members of Congress in Eagle Pass, Texas, on Jan. 3, 2024. Eric Gay/AP Photo

Commentary

Speaker Mike Johnson sent out an email which captures exactly what was going on in the U.S. Senate on Monday, Jan. 22.

He wrote:

“They want you to believe that the deal they’re offering to the American people is a ‘compromise.’

“[Sen. Chuck] Schumer wants you to sign off on:

“• 150,000 illegal immigrants entering the country uninhibited per month. (That’s nearly the population of my hometown in Louisiana.)

“• Work permits for EVERY illegal alien who’s been released into the country.

“• And they want YOU to pay for their legal fees.

“My answer is NO. Absolutely not.”

As I mentioned on my podcast this week, I am proud of Speaker Johnson’s firm position, but he is going to need a lot of grassroots support to convince Senate Republicans not to go along with this border sell out.

Americans want a clean, simple bill that controls the border and stops illegal immigrants from entering the United States.

Americans strongly favor legal immigration, but they are worried about the enormous flood of illegal immigrants from more than 160 countries—including people on the terrorist watch list and criminals from dangerous cartels.

Closing Brooklyn’s James Madison High School so American students had to learn from home while illegal immigrants stayed in the school became a symbol of misplaced values and destructive Biden administration policies.

In fact, the American people strongly support another bill, the Secure the Border Act of 2023—which House Republicans passed last year. At America’s New Majority Project, we found enormous support for key provisions in that bill which address the amnesty and parole systems that are currently being abused.

The American people are increasingly concerned about Joe Biden’s illegal immigration crisis. The issue was the No. 1 concern for Republican caucus goers in Iowa—surpassing even the economy.

Further, in a brand-new poll by America’s New Majority Project, we found 77 percent of Americans reject non-citizens voting. In fact, 60 percent strongly oppose non-citizens voting.

The voting issue is a real election game changer. A Republican who is against non-citizens voting defeats a Democrat who favors non-citizens voting 56 percent to 29 percent (15 percent were undecided).

Finally, Americans do not want to open up the welfare system to illegal immigrants. In yet another America’s New Majority Project poll, we found only 29 percent support letting illegal immigrants receive “Medicaid, food stamps, and other help meant for people with low incomes.” Sixty-four percent oppose this (and 47 percent oppose it strongly).

These most recent findings by America’s New Majority Project reaffirm the results of other polls on immigration and border security.

Consider that according to Scott Rasmussen 73 percent of Americans believe illegal immigration is bad for America (similarly, 71 percent believe legal immigration is good for our country).

In a poll by the Trafalger Group, only 14 percent favor amnesty and citizenship for people who entered the country illegally or are seeking asylum (among Hispanics that drops to 3 percent).

The confusion among Senate Republicans is painful.

Many Senate Republicans start out seeking an agreement with Schumer and the Democrats. Such an agreement will be opposed by the vast majority of Americans.

Both President Biden and the congressional Democrats are committed to accepting illegal immigrants, finding a way to give them work permits, and ultimately letting them vote—even if they are not citizens. Some Democratic controlled cities are already doing this.

The Democrats’ goal is to make the admission of illegal immigrants a routine event. That will require paying their big city allies billions of dollars for taking care of the millions of Biden’s illegal immigrants coming to their neighborhoods. Then they will need extra money to provide health care for illegal immigrants (as California Gov. Gavin Newsom has already promised to do). Then they will have to provide work permits because otherwise we will have millions of people entering an underground economy with no legal means of earning a living. Finally, we will have to pay to educate millions of young people who have no knowledge of American culture.

The Democrat plan is designed to make illegality routine in an effort to get political power. But it will ultimately extend the reach of dangerous cartels, expand drug distribution, and increase local crime.

The American people want illegal immigration stopped—not made routine. They want the border controlled—not opened.

The left ultimately wants no borders, with no requirements for citizenship or expectations of work (note the disastrous proposal Congress is working on to reduce work requirements for the child tax credit).

It is impossible for House Republicans to compromise in good faith with values and goals that are directly opposed to the wishes of the American people.

Let Speaker Johnson and House Republicans know that you stand with them in opposing a phony border bill.

Let Republican Senators know that the details matter, and a bill that regularizes illegal immigration is unacceptable.

This could be a decisive turning point in the crisis at the border—and the crises in our cities.

The question is who will win—the American people or the politicians.

You can help win this fight.

From Gingrich360.com

Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.