Ted Poe comes out in favor of Amnesty for illegals, comes under withering attack from hardliners

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Ted Poe comes out in favor of Amnesty for illegals, comes under withering attack from hardliners

Wednesday, December 19, 2012
The Houston Chronicle

“Our immigration system is broken,” Rep. Ted Poe wrote in an op-ed for POLITICO this past weekend.

The Republican from Humble declared that “it’s time for Republicans to take the lead on immigration reform,” noting that a proposal by Texas Republicans and business interests dubbed “The Texas Solution” is a good starting point for the GOP.

The Texas solution:

In his piece for POLITICO, Poe specifically came out in support of a guest worker program that is at the core of the Texas solution package.

“Although I don’t agree with all points on the list, it’s a start. And, importantly, it includes a verifiable, temporary guest worker program. In addition, we should start a documentation process that includes a photograph, biometric data like a fingerprint and other identifying information. Documentation does not mean citizenship and all of the rights that the term bestows. It means a type of legal status, either temporary or permanent, for some that are here, and it also means a pathway home for those who are here to commit crimes. Those given legal status would contribute to the U.S., primarily by paying taxes, for the benefits that they enjoy by being in the U.S.”

“Amnesty is not an option.”
Rep. Ted Poe (Brad Doherty / The Associated Press)

Americans for legal immigration PAC (ALIPAC) did not take well to Poe’s proposal. Shortly after Poe’s piece was published, they launched a withering campaign against Poe, claiming that he has joined “illegal alien invasion and Amnesty supporters.”

However, Poe clearly stated that “amnesty is not an option.”

ALIPAC issued the following call to action:

“This is the first time in our organization’s 8 year history that any candidate endorsed by ALIPAC has defected to join the illegal alien invasion and Amnesty supporters. Let’s work together to throw Ted Poe and others like him out of office and replace them with real Americans who will stand up for our citizens, the Rule of Law, and the US Constitution instead of caving in to the globalist controlled media.”

Poe remains opposed to amnesty, Poe’s spokesperson Shaylyn Hynes told ABC News.
“If a guest-worker program was implemented, he would not support a pathway that included citizenship,” she said.

“The legislation must get rid of the purposeless visa lottery system.”
Earlier this month, the STEM Jobs Act sponsored by San Antonio Republican Rep. Lamar Smith was blocked by Senate Democrats because it eliminated the visa “diversity” lottery. Poe condemned this decision, writing that “the legislation must get rid of the purposeless visa lottery system.” Poe was one of the original co-sponsors of the STEMS Jobs Act.

“Visas should be awarded — imagine this — to those who benefit our nation. We have a deep need for high-skilled labor, and while we work on a long-term plan for STEM education for American students, we should do what we can to discourage foreign workers who are American-educated and American-employed from taking what they’ve learned here, going back home and competing against our workers.”