Addison “Joe” Graves Wilson was born on July 31, 1947, in Charleston, South Carolina. After graduating from the High School of Charleston in 1965, he received his undergraduate degree from Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, and completed his law degree at the University of South Carolina. A real estate attorney by trade, Joe was a founding partner of the West Columbia law firm Kirkland, Wilson, Moore, Taylor & Thomas.
His career in public service officially began when he served on the staffs of South Carolina legends Senator Strom Thurmond and Congressman Floyd Spence. As part of the visionary Ronald Reagan administration, Joe was Deputy General Counsel to the United States Department of Energy Secretary and former South Carolina Governor, Jim Edwards.
America is a nation of immigrants, and we benefit tremendously when people legally immigrate to our country. Unfortunately, throughout the past decade, millions of people have chosen to disregard our immigration laws and illegally enter our country or overstay their visas.
The Obama Administration failed to successfully protect our borders over the last several years. Thousands of immigrants from all over the world are now streaming across our southern border with the anticipation of receiving amnesty. There are many in Congress, including myself, who are not in favor of amnesty for illegal immigrants.
Thankfully, President Donald Trump understands he has a duty to faithfully execute the laws as they are currently written. Disregarding current immigration law makes it difficult to determine what changes to immigration law should be made.
Until the appropriate laws already on the books are strongly enforced, illegal immigrants will continue to pour across our borders and weaken our national security. Once our laws are enforced, our nation will create a new generation of dedicated, patriotic American citizens. Legal immigrants have obeyed our regulations, and America must demonstrate our commitment to these hard-working individuals by ensuring those who follow our laws are treated courteously by immigration officials, and their immigration applications are processed in a timely fashion.