Loughlin Defends Arizona Immigration Law
Friday, July 09, 2010
As Arizona faces a federal lawsuit over its controversial immigration law, Rhode Island Congressional candidate John Loughlin is going out of his way - literally - to defend Arizona.
Loughlin said illegal immigration is one of the top concerns of his constituents—after jobs and the economy—and he said it is something that he gets questioned about at every campaign stop.
Rhode Island may seem removed from the issues facing a border state, but Loughlin said illegal immigration still makes its impact felt here, putting pressure on hospitals, schools, and other state programs. “The folks that are here illegally put a strain on our resources and, in addition, take away jobs,” Loughlin told GoLocalProv.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTSo, after the Bristol Fourth of July parade Monday, Loughlin hopped on jet to Arizona to see firsthand the impact illegal immigration was having on border communities in the southwestern state.
He said he toured Pinal County by helicopter and, from the air, saw thousands of footprints across the sand, encampments, and discarded, bullet-ridden cars and trucks that illegal immigrants left as they made their way across the Arizona desert. He also walked along the border in Cochise County.
He says he now has a greater appreciation for why Arizona passed a controversial law making it a crime to not have immigration papers. “If the federal government did its job, secured the borders appropriately and made sure that there would be no economic reward for entering this country illegally, Arizona would not have been forced into action,” he said.
Loughlin: Send Troops, Not Lawyers to Arizona
Under the circumstances, he said the last thing the Obama administration should be doing is suing the state for trying to do what the federal government won’t. “Instead of sending lawyers from Washington to sue the people of Arizona, the administration should be sending soldiers to work with law enforcement officials in Arizona to close the border,” he said.
Plus, he said there are things Rhode Islanders can do to alleviate the problem of illegal immigration in Arizona. “As long as we offer the economic opportunity for people to make that journey, the more people are going to make that journey,” he said.
If elected to Congress, Loughlin said he would push for sanctions against businesses that enable illegal immigration. “You have to put biting sanctions on businesses that violate the law and knowingly hire people who are here illegally,” he said.
That includes a sliding scale of fines and, ultimately, the loss of a business license.
He said the federal government also needs to mandate the use of the E-Verify system to confirm the legal status of workers—and complete the fence along the border with Mexico.
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