The Coalition against S.

744
_____________________________________________

The Wrong Way to Reform Immigration

An open letter on the Senate immigration bill
We write to express our serious concerns regarding the Gang of Eight's immigration bill, S. 744. We oppose this bill and urge you to vote against it when it comes to the Senate floor. No matter how well-intentioned, the Schumer-Rubio bill suffers from fundamental design flaws that make it unsalvageable. Many of us support various parts of the legislation, but the overall package is so unsatisfactory that the Senate would do better to start over from scratch. We have a variety of concerns; some of us share only one, others share all. Among these concerns are that the bill:

Is bloated and unwieldy along the lines of Obamacare or Dodd-Frank; Cedes excessive control over immigration law to an administration that has repeatedly proven itself to be untrustworthy, even duplicitous; Legalizes millions of illegal immigrants before securing the borders, thus ensuring future illegal immigration; Rewards law breakers and punishes law enforcement, undermining the rule of law; Hurts American job-seekers, especially those with less education; Threatens to bankrupt our already strained entitlement system; Expands government by creating new bureaucracies, authorizing new spending, and calling for endless regulations; Contains dangerous loopholes that threaten national security; Is shot through with earmarks for politically connected interest groups; Overwhelms our immigration bureaucracy, guaranteeing widespread fraud.

Reforming our immigration system is an important priority. But S.744 is such a defective measure that it would do more harm than good. We urge you to vote against it and against any cloture vote to bring up the bill. Only then can a constructive, measured debate take place on how to improve America's immigration policy. Signed (affiliations are included for identification purposes only),

National Conservative Leaders Barbara Anderson, Citizens for Limited Taxation Gary Bauer, Campaign for Working Families Rev. C.L. Bryant, One Nation Back to God Howie Carr, New England Talk Radio Host Ann Corcoran, Refugee Resettlement Watch Monica Crowley, Ph.D., Nationally Syndicated Radio Host Glynn Custred, Professor Emeritus CSU East Bay Jim Eagan, Sumner United for Responsible Government (Tennessee) Elaine Donnelly, Founder and President, Center for Military Readiness John Eastman, former Dean Chapman University Law School Ken Eldred, CEO, Living Stones Foundation Erick Erickson, Editor of RedState Maria Espinoza, Houston Eagle Forum, The Remembrance Project T. Willard Fair, President & CEO, Urban League of Greater Miami, Inc. Bryan Fischer, Director of Issue Analysis, American Family Association; Host of Focal Point on AFR Talk Tom Fitton, President, Judicial Watch John Fonte, Hudson Institute David Frum, Frum Forum Brigitte Gabriel, President and Founder, Act for America Frank Gaffney, President Center for Security Policy Victor Davis Hanson, Hoover Institution, Stanford University Donna Hearne, Constitutional Coalition, St. Louis, Missouri

Roger Hedgecock, Nationally Syndicated Radio Host John Hinderaker, Powerline.com David Horowitz, David Horowitz Freedom Center Laura Ingraham, Nationally Syndicated Radio Host Mickey Kaus, Columnist, Daily Caller, author The End of Equality Roger Kimball, Encounter Books and The New Criterion Cliff Kincaid, President, Americas Survival Peter Kirsanow, former member of the National Labor Relations Board Mark Krikorian, Center for Immigration Studies Stanley Kurtz, Senior Fellow, Ethics and Public Policy Center Kelly Monroe Kullberg, Christians for a Sustainable Economy Lars Larson, Radio Host, Compass Media Networks Mark Levin, Author and Radio Host David Limbaugh, Lawyer and Author Herb London, President, London Center for Policy Research Dr. Gina Loudon, Nationally Syndicated Radio Talk Show host and Author Rich Lowry, Editor, National Review Michelle Malkin, author of Invasion and syndicated columnist Ed Martin, Chairman, Missouri Republican Party Jenny Beth Martin, Co-Founder and National Coordinator, Tea Party Patriots Ken Masugi, Senior Fellow, The Claremont Institute Andrew C. McCarthy, Former Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney (Southern District of New York) and Contributing Editor at National Review Eric Metaxas, Author and Speaker

Paul Mirengoff, Powerline.com Frank L. Morris, Sr., Ph. D. Mike Needham, CEO, Heritage Action C. Preston Noell, President Tradition, Family, Property, Inc. Peter K. Nez, Former U. S Attorney, Southern District of California; Former Assistant Secretary for Enforcement, Department of the Treasury Rev. Rick Scarborough, President, Vision America Action John OSullivan, Editor-at-Large, National Review Daniel Pipes, President, Middle East Forum Judson Phillips, Founder Tea Party Nation Andy Ramirez, Law Enforcement Advocate and Journalist Sandy Rios, Vice-President, Family PAC Federal and Morning Host for AFR Talk Phyllis Schlafly, President and Founder, Eagle Forum Dimitri K. Simes, President & CEO, Center for the National Interest Smart Girl Politics Action Carol Swain, Professor of Political Science and of Law, Vanderbilt University Tea Party Nation Peter Thomas, The Conservative Caucus Virginia Thomas, Liberty Consulting Brad Thor, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Phil Valentine, Nationally Syndicated Conservative Radio Host Richard Viguerie Former Congressman Allen West Tom West, Professor, Hillsdale College

Tim Wildmon, President of the American Family Association and American Family Radio

Activist Leaders throughout the Country Tim Aalders, Radio Host and TV Personality, Salt Lake City, Utah Cathie Adams, President, Texas Eagle Forum; Former Chairman, Republican Party of Texas Alabama Federation of Republican Women American Grizzlies United (Wisconsin) Will Anderson, Conservative Radio Host, WBHP-AM, Huntsville, Alabama Angela Bean, Coordinator South Atlanta Tea Party Patriots (Georgia) Michael Berry, Conservative Radio Host, KTRH-AM, Houston, Texas (Syndicated) Blanchard Tea Party (Idaho) Jack and Joan Billman, Greencastle Defenders of Liberty, Greencastle, Indiana Michael Brown, Conservative Radio Host, Denver, Colorado Martha Brewer, Lamar County Tea Party Patriots (Alabama) Melody Burns, Conservative Radio Host, WGDJ-AM, Albany, New York Canton T.E.A. Party (Georgia) Sam Clovis, President Serious Civics for America, Inc. (Iowa) Common Sense Campaign of South Alabama Carroll County Tea Party Association (Georgia) Darin Danielski, Lake County Area Defenders of Liberty, Oconomowoc, Wisconsin Debbie Dooley, Atlanta Tea Party (Georgia) Dyersville Tea Party (Iowa) Dave Elswick, Conservative Radio Host, KARN-FM, Little Rock, Arkansas Kay Edmonds, Precinct Delegate, Clinton, MI, l9.12 Forum Steering Committee Member, Lenawee GOP Executive Committee Member, Veteran (Post Korea)

Empower Indiana (Indiana) Bill & Prudence Fields, Eagle Forum, Virginia Rod Fonkert, Sheldon Tea Party Patriots (Iowa) Friends of Idaho Greg Garrison, Conservative Radio Host, WIBC-FM, Indianapolis, Indiana Georgia Conservatives in Action Helen Glover, Conservative Radio Host, WHJJ-AM, Providence, Rhode Island Kay Godwin and Pat Tippett, Co-Chairs, Georgia Conservatives in Action Becky Gerritson, President Wetumpka TEA Party, Wetumpka, Alabama Donna Goeddaeus, Northwoods Patriots Tea Party, Conover, Wisconsin Green Bay (Brown County) Wisconsin TEA Party Greencastle Defenders of Liberty (Indiana) Ron Hei, Tea Party Patriots of Covington County Wally Hauck, Ph.D., President of Optimum Leadership, Member of Milford, CT Republican Town Committee Hamilton County Patriots (Indiana) Mark Herr, The Midsouth Tea Party (Tennessee) Marcia Hora, Iowa Grassroots Coalition Dustin Inmman Society, Georgia Illinois Tea Party Danny B. Joyner, Commander, Alabama Patriots, Brewton, Alabama Joyce Kaufman, Conservative Radio Host, WFTL-AM, Palm Beach, Florida Tammy Koza, Iowa Eagle Forum Dave Kramer, Dyersville Tea Party (Iowa)

Las Vegas Valley Tea Party (Nevada) Janna Loar, State Leader Ohio Counts Bill McLain, Conservative Radio Host, WORD, Greenville, South Carolina Michigan Eagle Forum Montgomery Tea Party (Alabama) Matt Murphy, Conservative Radio Host, WAPI, Birminigham, Alabama Reid Mullins, Conservative Radio Host, KTOK, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Lisa Nancollas, Pennsylvania State Coordinator, Tea Party Patriots and Mifflin County Tea Party Patriots Sara Jo Odom, Eagle Forum of Oklahoma Patriots of Liberty TEA Party, Auburn, Alabama Bobbie Patray, President, Eagle Forum of Tennessee Carol Payne, Eagle Forum, Lubbock, Texas Pennsylvania Coalition for Responsible Government Bill Post, Conservative Radio Host, KYKN, Salem, Oregon John Putnam, Chairman, Jasper County Republican Central Committee (Missouri) Merre Putnam, State Committeewoman, 32nd Senatorial District Steve Ramey and David Hancock, Gwinnett Tea Party (Atlanta) Russell Ramland Park Cities/Preston Hollow Leadership Forum, Dallas, Texas Sandi Ruggles, Eagle Forum Southeast Wisconsin Jennifer Schubert-Akin, Activist, Steamboat Springs, Colorado Janet Smith, Local Coordinator, Greenfield Area Tea Party, Greenfield Indiana Standpoint Tea Party Patriots (Idaho) Rainy Day Patriots (Alabama)

Rob Schilling, WINA-AM, Charlottesville, Virginia Jeff Schwilk, San Diegans for Secure Borders Coalition Kim Simac and Shirley Kufeldt, Northwood Patriots, Eagle River, Wisconsin Todd Isaac Ike Skelton, Lebanon Tea Party (Missouri) Janet Smith, Greenfield Area Tea Party (Indiana) Loretta and Ricky Short, Wetumpka TEA Party (Alabama) Eunie Smith, President, Eagle Forum of Alabama South West Pennsylvania Eagle Forum Pam Stout, Idaho State Coordinator, Tea Party Patriots Barbara Susco, Florida Eagle Forum Taxed Enough Already Party, Barbour County, Alabama Taxed Enough Already Party, Quitman County, Georgia Tea Party North (Indiana) Brian Tilton, Conservative Radio Host, WTPL-FM, Concord, New Hampshire Joe Thomas, Conservative Radio Host, WCHV-AM, Charlottesville, Virginia Vanderburgh County Tea Party Patriots (Indiana) Dawn Wildman SoCal Tax Revolt Coalition, Inc. Lynn Woolley, Lynn Woolley Show, Syndicated, Texas Don and Skeet Workman, Eagle Forum, Lubbock, Texas Sally Zelikovsky, Founder of Bay Area Patriots and Coordinator of San Francisco Tea Party Dennis Zellaha, Tea Party Patriots and Iowa Grassroots Coalition (Iowa)