We are a nation of immigrants who have made our country rich with culture, customs, and cuisines.  We are also a nation guided by the Rule of Law, which protect the rights and freedoms of all Americans.  We have become a nation that allows our interest and needs to be over shadowed by those who disregard our policies, regulations, and laws that attempt to fairly and uniformly manage the immigrants that chose to embrace our country’s traditions. 
The fault lies not only with the individuals who cross our sovereign boarders without the required documentation, but with the employers who hire them and our elected officials who turn a blind eye to the situation rather than uphold the Rule of Law they took an oath to serve.  The result is the loss of jobs for American workers, overcrowding of our schools, the economic and service demand on our hospitals, and an enormous financial burden on our communities.

The issues have been difficult to reconcile as the magnitude of the problem mushroomed over the last ten years, but they were overlooked during a period of extremely high employment.  Some attempted to justify it because the illegal immigrants were filling the low menial jobs Americans would not perform.   In reality there is no job classification in this country in which foreigners are the majority of workers, so the argument does not hold any credence.  The open borders and flood of illegal immigrants have merely increased the job pool and allowed the wages to be depressed.

Employers are not to be held faultless as many continue to employ the illegal immigrants for the financial benefit of lower pay rates and reduced benefits – if jobs were not available, then the human torrent across the border would not exist.  But current Federal Law forbids the employment of undocumented workers, which led the Government to establish a toll free number so the social security numbers of potential employees could be checked to insure they could legally be hired.

As your Senator, I will work to achieve concurrence on the following:
• True and complete security at our borders
• Prosecution of employers who hire illegal immigrants contrary to Federal Law
• Uphold current immigration rules and regulations
• Reduce the current allotment of H1-B Technical visas
• Support the On-Line Social Security Number Verification Tool 

Please Note:   I make the commitment to all Ohioans to work diligently for the items listed above, but I will be only one vote in the Senate so I need your help.  We will discuss all the action steps at each of the town hall meetings and establish plans to garner support and push ahead with the agenda.