By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
On Friday, January 31, 2014 U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions reiterated his belief that Congress should not open the floodgates to millions of new immigrants and should instead stand with the American worker.
Sen. Sessions said, “The arguments compiled by FWD.us pushing for a massive surge in new workers from abroad have ignored the overwhelming literature, including broad research by the Congressional Budget Office, demonstrating that such a plan would reduce wages and job prospects for millions of struggling workers living here today.”
The conservative Alabama Senator said, “The White House and Senate Democrats have embraced a plan that not only allows illegal immigration to continue indefinitely, but proposes to double the flow of new legal immigrant workers and triple the number of mostly lesser-skilled immigrants who will be given green cards. Unfortunately, it seems several House leaders are contemplating a similar approach. We need to move Americans off of welfare and into good-paying jobs—not replace them with lower-wage workers from abroad. Gene Sperling has said there are three jobseekers for every one job opening. Has anyone asked the American people whether they want these large increases to current record immigration levels now being proposed?”
Sen. Sessions concluded, “Lawmakers must decide who they represent: immigration activists and powerful interests, or millions of struggling and unemployed Americans. Republicans have an opportunity to stand alone as the one party dutifully representing the legitimate interests of the American worker. They should seize it. They should boldly and unapologetically articulate policies that end the lawlessness and advance the national interest.”
On Thursday Republican leaders released what they called the Republican Principles on Immigration Reform.
Sen. Sessions said of the principles: “Once again, we have the same recycled talking points—crafted, it would appear, with the help of the same consultants and special interests. Each time, the talking points are followed by legislation that fails to match the promises—legislation that, at bottom, ensures only the amnesty and not the enforcement. The leadership talking points look like an attempted repackaging of the tired Gang-of-Eight-style formula that has been proposed, rejected, and re-proposed for years. It is no surprise then that Senator Schumer and former Speaker Pelosi are so encouraged by these developments. But while Democrat leaders and interest groups appear satisfied, this document was not voted upon by the GOP conference and clearly does not represent the consensus of Republican members. Is it not time we pushed aside the stale proposals stitched together in concert with the same lobbyists, and asked what is in the best interests of the hardworking American citizen—and the nation?”
U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions is the Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee and a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Senator Sessions was first elected in 1996. Sessions has qualified with the Alabama Republican Party seeking his fourth term representing Alabama in the U.S. Senate.
