politics29.htm

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October 24, 2002

Milt Jenkins
612 Court Street #1
Sioux City, IA 51101

Dear Milt,

Thank you for contacting me. I hope you will pardon my delay in responding to you.

I appreciate having the benefit of your views and concerns regarding immigration policies. Your input on this matter is helpful to me. As I examine this issue, I will certainly give your views every consideration.

In the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks, Congress addressed serious flaws in our border security and our nonimmigrant visa programs. I believe we must provide the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the State Department with the resources they need to better do their jobs. That's why I co-sponsored the "The Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act," S.1749, which passed the Senate in April. The Act increases the security of our borders, secures our visa entry system, and enhances our ability to deter potential terrorists.

The problem of immigration is complex. The United States now faces serious domestic problems and must have reasonable limits on immigration. Increasing economic globalization and integration clearly has raised the levels of international migration. Immigration concerns must be addressed with an understanding of such social and economic forces in mind. For that reason, I will continue to support laws that properly balance legal immigration, while also effectively deterring illegal immigration.

You may also be interested to know that in order to help address the growing issue of immigration in the United States, I introduced and won passage of an amendment to bring at least 10 Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) Officers to Iowa to enforce legal and illegal immigration laws. As a result of this, two INS offices opened in Iowa in 1997.

More recently, I have been able to secure an additional 20 enforcement officers in Iowa to assist law enforcement with illegal immigration.

Again, I apologize for my delay in getting back to you. Please keep in touch and continue to keep me informed of your views and concerns.

Sincerely,

Tom Harkin
United States Senator