The United States is a nation made up of immigrants and I support common-sense reform to the laws and regulations by which people legally enter our country. We must recognize that legal immigration is not the issue and we must not demonize immigrants who come to our country by following the rules. Illegal immigration, however, places an unsustainable burden on our public services and communities.

Before immigration reform can be seriously addressed, we first must secure America’s borders. If we do not secure our borders, any advances made by reform will be short-lived. This can be done through a physical and virtual fence, which includes the use of reconnaissance drone aircraft, security cameras, and a whole host of technological instruments to increase our situational awareness and help U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents effectively respond to border incursions. Beyond immigration, our porous borders threaten our national security. 

When it comes to reform, we must streamline our current system of processing immigrant applicants.  U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services must ensure that foreigners have the opportunity to enter the U.S. through legal means.