Michele Bachmann on Immigration Republican Representative (MN-6); 2011 GOP frontrunner

No visas for members of designated terrorist organizations

More visas for skilled engineers; but not for illegal aliens

BACHMANN: Well, I don't agree that you would make 11 million workers legal, because that, in effect, is amnesty. And I also don't agree that you would give the DREAM Act on a federal level. [Apple Computer CEO] Steve Jobs said to Pres. Obama that he had to move a great deal of his operation over to China because he couldn't find 30,000 engineers to be able to do the work that needed to be done. That's what we want to do. We do want to have people like chemists and engineers, and people who are highly skilled. If we can utilize these workers, like Steve jobs wanted to, then we need to offer those visas. That will help the United States. But I don't agree that we should make 11 million workers who are here illegally legal.

Build a fence on every inch of our southern border

BACHMANN: The federal government has failed the American people and has failed the states. It's reprehensible that Pres. Obama has sued Arizona for trying to protect the people in Arizona. That's wrong. As president, I would do what my job would demand of me. That's to uphold the sovereignty of the United States of America. To do that, I would build a fence on America's southern border o every mile, on every yard, on every foot, on every inch of the southern border. I think that's what we have to do, not only build it, but then also have sufficient border security and enforce the laws that are on the books with the ICE agents, with our border security. And here's the other thing I would do. I would not allow taxpayer-funded benefits for illegal aliens or for their children. That's a madness. End the madness for illegal aliens to come into the United States of America.

It's not the American way to give immigrants rights

PERRY: If you're pursuing citizenship, you pay in-state tuition. It doesn't make any difference what the sound of your last name is. That is the American way.

Q [to Bachmann]: Is that basically Obama's DREAM Act?

BACHMANN: Yes, it's very similar. And I think that the American way is not to give taxpayer subsidized benefits to people who have broken our laws or who are here in the US illegally. That is not the American way. Because the immigration system worked very well up until the mid-1960s when liberal members of Congress changed the immigration laws. What works is to have people come into the US with a little bit of money in their pocket legally with sponsors so that if anything happens to them, they don't fall back on the taxpayers to take care of them. And then they also have to agree to learn the speak the English language, learn American history and our constitution. That's the American way.

Our immigration law worked beautifully until 1960s

And the one thing they had to promise is that they would not become a burden on the American taxpayer. That's what we have to enforce.

Lack of border fence yields our sovereignty

A: Understand the context and the problem that we're dealing with. In Mexico right now, we're dealing with narco terrorists. This is a very serious problem. To not build a border or a fence on every part of that border would be, in effect, to yield US sovereignty, to yield it to another nation. That we cannot do.

Q: What do you do with 11.5 million illegals?

A: It depends upon where they live, how long they have been here, if they have a criminal record. All of those things have to be taken into place.

Secure our borders and enforce current laws

I support legislation that first addresses our most urgent problem: securing America’s borders. We must start by using new technologies such as electronic surveillance where most effective. We need to enforce current laws by holding responsible those who willfully violate our nation’s immigration laws.

Rated B+ by the ALI, indicating an acceptably anti-amnesty stance.

ALIPAC supporters have a diverse range of opinions, yet we are united in the belief that more should be done to reduce illegal immigration. ALIPAC supports those that legally immigrate, but we DO NOT support any amnesty, visa expansion, or "Guest Worker" program designed to reward illegal aliens or legalize their presence in the US. We support a peaceful, non racist, rule of law approach to resolving illegal immigration. America is a land of generous and caring people, but our hospitality and values are being strained and abused by those who are willing to break the law and take our jobs and our tax dollars. America's illegal alien population will begin to shrink instead of grow if we support candidates that will reflect the will of the vast majority of American citizens.

FOUR POINT PLATFORM: "Simply enforce our existing immigration laws!"
1. Secure Our Borders
2. Crack down on employers that intentionally hire illegals
3. Remove incentives and rewards to illegals such as licenses, welfare, and other taxpayer benefits
4. Enforce our existing laws and deport illegal aliens when convicted of crimes or detected during routine law enforcement activities.

Stop releasing low-risk illegal immigrants.

Letter from office of Rep. Matt Salmon (R-AZ-5) signed by 37 Members of Congress

Dear Secretary Napolitano,

We are deeply concerned that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is using sequestration as a vehicle to further the Administration's disregard for enforcing our immigration laws. Specifically, we are troubled by recent reports that DHS has released hundreds of illegal immigrants, rather than finding cost savings elsewhere in the agency.

Your agency's decision to release "low-risk" illegal immigrants back into the public under the guise of saving money is unprecedented and dangerous. The inability of DHS to prioritize resources for potential cuts suggests this decision was either politically motivated to further the Administration's amnesty goals or, at best, demonstrates agency incompetence.

Given the public safety and national security concerns this decision raises, we respectfully request you halt any further action to release detained illegal immigrants. Also, please respond to the following questions, regarding individuals already released, pending release, or anticipated to be released:

• The number of detainees released and the geographic location of where the releases took place;
• Any plans for future releases, and the geographic location of where those releases will take place;
• The name of the DHS official who authorized the review of detained illegal immigrants for release;
• The criteria used to determine who is eligible for release;
• The number of reviewed detainees denied release and the specific reasons for such denials;
• A list identifying cuts to the DHS budget implemented prior to the release of the detainees, the budget savings achieved, and why these savings were insufficient;
• How DHS is tracking illegal immigrants released under this plan, and whether they will be ordered back to detention centers if funding becomes available.

Declare English as the official language of the US.

This bill declares English as the official language of the United States, establishes a uniform English language rule for naturalization.

1. The United States is comprised of individuals from diverse ethnic, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds, and continues to benefit from this rich diversity.
2. Throughout the history of the United States, the common thread binding individuals of differing backgrounds has been the English language.
3. Federal Representatives of shall have an obligation to enhance the role of English as the official language of the Federal Government.
4. The official functions of the Government of the United States shall be conducted in English.
5. All citizens should be able to read and understand generally the English language text of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the laws of the US.
6. All naturalization ceremonies shall be conducted in English.