With the Republican National Convention around the corner, a conservative immigration group called “The Hard Work Clean Hands Initiative” is circulating a letter urging delegates “to adopt the Texas GOP’s immigration platform” adopted on June 8, 2012.
So what does the letter entail?
According to the letter, one of their primary goals is “to limit citizenship by birth to those born to a citizen of the United States with no exceptions.” By this definition, Marco Rubio would not have been a “natural-born citizen,” because his parents were not citizens at the time he was born.
But that’s just one of the controversial ideas being floated to delegates. Brad Bailey, one of the architects of the “Texas Solution,” was recently on Dennis Miller’s radio show to discuss.
When Miller asked for some details about the plan, Bailey said:
Brad Bailey: Secure the borders, secure the borders number one. We have to secure the borders by any means necessary. Drones, whatever, we need to look at the common sense problem. Texas has more border land than pretty much anyone. California obviously has a lot, but Arizona has problems, we have the same problems. So we have that as problem number one, we need safety and security for all our Americans living on the border and throughout the nation.
Dennis Miller: When you’re talking about drones, you’re not talking about vaporizing people, you’re talking about filming them or getting somebody out there when the drone sites them.
Brad Bailey: Correct, national guard, whatever it takes. We would leave it up to the professionals to handle the exact, but right now what we have is not working. Number two, we have to modernize the social security guard. The social security guard has not been updated since 1936. I mean you look at every driver license across the United States, they’ve been updated and they use current technology and they can tell you what you’ve been doing the whole time.
(Emphasis mine.)
You can listen to the interview here. And read the letter to delegates below:
“I am writing you to share critical information about The Texas Solution for immigration reform. This is the plan that was adopted on June 8, 2012 at the Republican Party of Texas convention, the largest in the nation, by a strong majority of grassroots Texas Republicans who decided in an historic vote that the time had come for solutions, not continued rhetoric.
“Republicans are leaders, not followers, when it comes to the challenges facing our country. That is why the Texas delegation is presenting our vision for immigration reform when we meet in Tampa to nominate Governor Romney.
“We wanted to share some of the reasons why we believe The Texas Solution is worth your support. The Texas Solution is based on the conservative values of freedom and innovation that are cornerstones of American Exceptionalism. We make security the linchpin of reform combined with the necessary restructuring of the failed bureaucracies that are responsible for lapses in our country’s immigration system.
“There are at least 11 million individuals unaccounted for in the United States. They entered our country for a variety of reasons but remain here outside of the law. Many Republicans agree that blanket deportation is neither equitable nor practical; but also agree that Simpson-Mazzoli style amnesty of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 would only encourage future violations of the law.
“We seek common ground. The Republican Party of Texas has developed and is now, with your help, working to advance a conservative, market-and law-based approach to our nation’s immigration issues.
“We propose the following principles:
“1. Secure Our Borders
“The U.S. Border must be secured immediately! It is the fundamental responsibility of our federal government to do so. We demand the application of effective, practical and reasonable measures to secure our borders and to bring safety and security for all Americans along the border and throughout the nation.
“2. Modernize the United States Social Security Card
“We support the improvement of our 1936 Social Security card to use contemporary anti-counterfeit technology. The social security card will not be considered a National ID card for U.S. citizens.
“3. Birthright Citizenship
“We call on the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches of the United States to clarify Section 1 of the 14th amendment to limit citizenship by birth to those born to a citizen of the United States with no exceptions.
“4. Create an Effective and Efficient Temporary Worker Program
“A national Temporary Worker Program should be implemented to bring skilled and unskilled workers into the United States for temporary periods of time when no U.S. workers are currently available. The program should also require:
• Self-funding through participation fees and fines;
• Applicants must pass a full criminal background check;
• Applicants with prior immigration violations would only qualify for the program if they paid the appropriate fines;
• Applicants and/or Employers must prove that they can afford and/or secure private health insurance;
• Applicants must waive any and all rights to apply for financial assistance from any public entitlement programs;
• Applicant must show a proficiency in the English language and complete an American civic class;
• Temporary Workers would only be able to work for employers that deduct and match payroll taxes;
• All participants would be issued an individual Temporary-Worker Biometric Identification Card that tracks all address changes and both civil and criminal court appearances.
“We are sharing our plan, its details and development with you because we believe The Texas Solution is our party’s strongest opportunity to lead and effectively reform immigration law.
“Texans, like residents in other border states, understand the impact the failed immigration bureaucracies of the State Department and Department of Homeland Security have had on our country.
“We also know that the Republican Party does not represent Anglos alone, but all Americans who support traditional, conservative values of family, faith and freedom. As our state party chairman Steve Munisteri, stated recently in Texas Monthly magazine, “the key to Republican success in the future is to reach out to Hispanic, African American, and Asian voters.” And, of course, the RNC has established a strong Hispanic Outreach Program with which this plan is consistent.
“The Texas Solution is a reality because conservatives banded together to draw a common sense plan that will work. We invite you to join us in publicly supporting The Texas Solution and advocating for it with your fellow delegates in Tampa.”