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I’m heading to Washington this (Tuesday) morning to vote against two amnesty bills in the House of Representatives. These are part of Joe Biden’s immigration agenda, and would create a pathway to citizenship for five MILLION illegal immigrants.

Let’s back up a second and remind ourselves that since Biden was elected, illegal border crossings have skyrocketed. Why? Because the President stopped construction of Trump’s border wall, suspended the removal of most people with active deportation orders, and canceled Trump’s “remain in Mexico” asylum policy. EVERYONE knew the southern border would quickly devolve into another disaster.

So here we are. You’d think Congress would be considering legislation to help mitigate the crisis along the border. But sadly, no.

Instead, the first of these two bills would create a classification of illegal immigrants called “certified agricultural workers.” To qualify, one must have entered our country unlawfully and have performed a certain amount of agricultural labor. This bill literally provides the means for those individuals to obtain legal permanent resident status. From there, existing law provides the pathway to citizenship once a permanent resident with a green card has been here for at least five years. Children and spouses also get to tag along as “certified agricultural dependents.”

That bill is called the Farm Workforce Modernization Act (H.R. 1603). It’s a catchy title, even though amnesty doesn’t actually “modernize” anything. The second bill is called the American Dream and Promise Act (H.R. 6), which would codify Obama’s DACA program. That too is amnesty.

Here’s what I believe with respect to immigration:

1. I do NOT believe people who enter our nation illegally should be treated cruelly. That’s terrible, and it’s not who we are.

2. But I don’t believe people who enter our nation illegally should be offered amnesty, or a pathway to citizenship, or preferential treatment that puts them ahead of MILLIONS of others who chose to obey our laws and policies in the pursuit of the American Dream.

3. I believe Americans have a right and responsibility to know who (and what) comes into our country. That starts by securing our border. Border security IS national security.

4. Yes, there are some industries where it’s difficult to find enough Americans willing to fill those jobs (e.g. agriculture, meat packing, landscaping). Where that’s the case, I believe there obviously should be a way for others to come here for those jobs. But those individuals should be here temporarily and legally – see #3 above. Not here in the shadows. Not jumping ahead of others who seek our nation as a permanent home.

5. I believe there are some people who legitimately need asylum. But I also know that entirely too people were claiming asylum and then disappearing once granted temporary access to our nation – never to be heard from again, and never showing up for their asylum hearing in U.S. immigration court. That’s not acceptable.

Democrats’ solution to our immigration problems is to simply legalize people who are here illegally. As if somehow that magically makes everything better. It doesn’t. Their bills in the House this week are purely for political gain, and would only encourage illegal immigration to continue.