Law Breakers on Parade Again

Illegal Aliens Come to Washington Demanding Amnesty

WASHINGTON, March 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American public will once again be treated to the spectacle of thousands of illegal aliens brazenly demanding amnesty for having violated U.S. immigration laws. "The March for America," slated for Sunday, March 21 on the National Mall, is expected to bring thousands of illegal aliens and their supporters to Washington, followed by lobbying visits to Capitol Hill on Monday.

Encouraged by President Obama, who has revived talk of passing amnesty legislation in 2010, marchers hope to pressure Congress into moving an amnesty bill ahead of other legislative priorities. The marchers will use the event to vent their frustrations about the failure of Congress and the president to address their concerns.

Previous illegal alien marches have featured the slogan, "Today we march, tomorrow we vote," noted Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). "Those in Congress would be well-served to remember that the American public votes too. With an estimated 25 million people either unemployed or underemployed, Americans are far more interested in freeing up the millions of jobs now held by illegal aliens than they are in rewarding people who have broken our laws."

Recent polling data indicate that the American public is adamantly opposed to amnesty for illegal aliens. According to a nationwide Rasmussen poll conducted in February:

• 68% of voters believe that gaining control of the border is more important than granting amnesty to illegal aliens. Only 26% see amnesty as a solution to the problem.
• 67% of voters believe that illegal aliens are a significant strain on the U.S. budget.

"The American people have an immigration reform agenda too, one that Congress and successive administrations have been ignoring for decades," Stein said. "What law-abiding Americans want is an immigration policy that protects their vital interests and the enforcement of our laws, not amnesty for illegal aliens."

FAIR has been a strong advocate of worksite enforcement, denial of nonessential services and benefits to those here illegally, greater cooperation between local and federal law enforcement, and increased border security as a solution to mass illegal immigration.  "Strategic enforcement has proven to be effective in reducing illegal immigration, and is the approach favored by the vast majority of Americans," said Stein. "Capitulating to the demands of the people who break our laws, fill scarce jobs, and consume billions of dollars in public services has been repeatedly rejected by the American people.

"It is time for President Obama and the leaders of Congress to decide whose side they are on: Those who demand to be rewarded for breaking the law, or the American people?" concluded Stein.

SOURCE FAIR