Politics

Over 150 conservative leaders, groups sign letter opposing Gang of 8 bill

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Over 150 conservative leaders, groups and grassroots activists have signed an open letter opposing the Senate immigration reform bill.

“We write to express our serious concerns regarding the Gang of Eight’s immigration bill, S. 744. We oppose this bill and urge you to vote against it when it comes to the Senate floor,” the letter to be released Tuesday and obtained by The Daily Caller reads. “No matter how well intentioned, the Schumer-Rubio bill suffers from fundamental design flaws that make it unsalvageable. Many of us support various parts of the legislation, but the overall package is so unsatisfactory that the Senate would do better to start over from scratch.”

Signed by conservatives leaders and group representatives including radio host Laura Ingraham, Fox News personality Monica Crowley, Red State’s Erick Erickson, radio host Mark Levin, Hoover Institution’s Victor Davis Hanson, and The Daily Caller’s Mickey Kaus, the letter highlights a number of issues the signers have with the legislation including their concerns that the bill:

  • Is bloated and unwieldy along the lines of Obamacare or Dodd-Frank;
  • Cedes excessive control over immigration law to an administration that has repeatedly proven itself to be untrustworthy, even duplicitous;
  • Legalizes millions of illegal immigrants before securing the borders, thus ensuring future illegal immigration;
  • Rewards law breakers and punishes law enforcement, undermining the rule of law;
  • Hurts American job-seekers, especially those with less education;
  • Threatens to bankrupt our already strained entitlement system;
  • Expands government by creating new bureaucracies, authorizing new spending, and calling for endless regulations;
  • Contains dangerous loopholes that threaten national security;
  • Is shot through with earmarks for politically connected interest groups;
  • Overwhelms our immigration bureaucracy, guaranteeing widespread fraud.

The letter also argues that while immigration reform is important, the Senate’s immigration reform bill will only make matters worse.

“Reforming our immigration system is an important priority. But S.744 is such a defective measure that it would do more harm than good. We urge you to vote against it and against any cloture vote to bring up the bill. Only then can a constructive, measured debate take place on how to improve America’s immigration policy,” the letter reads.

Ingraham, one of the letter’s signers, elaborated on her decision to sign the letter in an email to TheDC, noting that she read the entire bill and has seen most of the amendments to close loopholes and improve enforcement be discarded in mark-up. According to her, the “heroes of battle for our sovereignty” have been Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley and Alabama Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions “who are fighting every day in the Senate to expose the glaring inadequacies of this legislation, which affords huge and unreviewable discretion to DHS to waive admissibility and deportation rules.”

“The Republicans who parrot the mindless ‘we must do something’ mantra might wish to review how the Democrats responded to Obamacare criticism in 2010. I recall the liberal cries of ‘We must do something…the health care system is broken….'” Ingraham continued in her email to TheDC. “What is broken is our system of government whereby the elites in both parties consistently ignore the will of the people on an issue as important as border enforcement.  This bill will make life more difficult for middle class Americans and legal immigrants who are already struggling to find decent-paying jobs that cover the bills.  Some Republicans are desperate to agree to anything in hopes of winning the Latino vote.  They are on a fools errand, will infuriate their grass roots supporters, and will compromise their remaining credibility as a ‘law and order’ party.”

Tuesday’s open missive comes on the heels of a letter to all Members of Congress from immigration enforcement unions and law enforcement officials warning that the legislation will act as a barrier to a safe legal immigration system.

The complete letter and signers are to be posted at http://www.stopgangof8.com/.

Letter signers include:

National Conservative Leaders

Barbara Anderson, Citizens for Limited Taxation

Gary Bauer, Campaign for Working Families

Rev. C.L. Bryant, One Nation Back to God

Howie Carr, New England Talk Radio Host

Ann Corcoran, Refugee Resettlement Watch

Monica Crowley, Ph.D., Nationally Syndicated Radio Host

Glynn Custred, Professor Emeritus CSU East Bay

Jim Eagan, Sumner United for Responsible Government (Tennessee)

Elaine Donnelly, Founder and President, Center for Military Readiness

John Eastman, former Dean Chapman University Law School

Ken Eldred, CEO, Living Stones Foundation

Erick Erickson, Editor of RedState

Maria Espinoza, Houston Eagle Forum, The Remembrance Project

T. Willard Fair, President & CEO, Urban League of Greater Miami, Inc.

John Fonte, Hudson Institute

David Frum, Frum Forum

Brigitte Gabriel, President and Founder, Act for America

Frank Gaffney, President Center for Security Policy

Victor Davis Hanson, Hoover Institution, Stanford University

Donna Hearne, Constitutional Coalition, St. Louis, Missouri

Roger Hedgecock, Nationally Syndicated Radio Host

John Hinderaker, Powerline.com

David Horowitz, David Horowitz Freedom Center

Laura Ingraham, Nationally Syndicated Radio Host

Mickey Kaus, Columnist, Daily Caller, author The End of Equality

Roger Kimball, Encounter Books and The New Criterion

Cliff Kincaid, President, America’s Survival

Mark Krikorian, Center for Immigration Studies

Stanley Kurtz, Senior Fellow, Ethics and Public Policy Center

Kelly Monroe Kullberg, Christians for a Sustainable Economy

Lars Larson, Radio Host, Compass Media Networks

Mark Levin, Author and Radio Host

David Limbaugh, Lawyer and Author

Herb London, President, London Center for Policy Research

Dr. Gina Loudon, Nationally Syndicated Radio Talk Show host and Author

Rich Lowry, Editor, National Review

Michelle Malkin, author of Invasion and syndicated columnist

Ed Martin, Chairman, Missouri Republican Party

Jenny Beth Martin, Co-Founder and National Coordinator, Tea Party Patriots

Ken Masugi, Senior Fellow, The Claremont Institute

Andy McCarthy, Executive Director, Philadelphia Freedom Center

Eric Metaxas, Author and Speaker

Paul Mirengoff, Powerline.com

Frank L. Morris, Sr., Ph. D.

Mike Needham, CEO, Heritage Action

C. Preston Noell, President Tradition, Family, Property, Inc.

Peter K. Núñez, Former U. S Attorney, Southern District of California; Former Assistant Secretary for Enforcement, Department of the Treasury

Rev. Rick Scarborough, President, Vision America Action

John O’Sullivan, Editor-at-Large, National Review

Daniel Pipes, President, Middle East Forum

Judson Phillips, Founder Tea Party Nation

Andy Ramirez, Law Enforcement Advocate and Journalist

Sandy Rios, Vice-President, Family PAC Federal and Morning Host for AFR Talk

Phyllis Schlafly, President and Founder, Eagle Forum

Dimitri K. Simes, President & CEO, Center for the National Interest

Smart Girl Politics Action

Carol Swain, Professor of Political Science and of Law, Vanderbilt University

Tea Party Nation

Peter Thomas, The Conservative Caucus

Virginia Thomas, Liberty Consulting

Brad Thor, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author

Phil Valentine, Nationally Syndicated Conservative Radio Host

Richard Viguerie

Former Congressman Allen West

Tom West, Professor, Hillsdale College

Tim Wildmon, President of the American Family Association and American Family Radio

Activist Leaders throughout the Country 

Cathie Adams, President, Texas Eagle Forum; Former Chairman, Republican Party of Texas

Alabama Federation of Republican Women

American Grizzlies United (Wisconsin)

Will Anderson, Conservative Radio Host, WBHP-AM, Huntsville, Alabama

Angela Bean, Coordinator South Atlanta Tea Party Patriots (Georgia)

Michael Berry, Conservative Radio Host, KTRH-AM, Houston, Texas (Syndicated)

Blanchard Tea Party (Idaho)

Jack and Joan Billman, Greencastle Defenders of Liberty, Greencastle, Indiana

Michael Brown, Conservative Radio Host, Denver, Colorado

Martha Brewer, Lamar County Tea Party Patriots (Alabama)

Melody Burns, Conservative Radio Host, WGDJ-AM, Albany, New York

Canton T.E.A. Party (Georgia)

Sam Clovis, President Serious Civics for America, Inc. (Iowa)

Common Sense Campaign of South Alabama

Carroll County Tea Party Association (Georgia)

Darin Danielski, Lake County Area Defenders of Liberty, Oconomowoc, Wisconsin

Dyersville Tea Party (Iowa)

Dave Elswick, Conservative Radio Host, KARN-FM, Little Rock, Arkansas

Kay Edmonds, Precinct Delegate, Clinton, MI, l9.12 Forum Steering Committee Member, Lenawee GOP Executive Committee Member, Veteran (Post Korea)

Empower Indiana (Indiana)

Bill & Prudence Fields, Eagle Forum, Virginia

Friends of Idaho

Greg Garrison, Conservative Radio Host, WIBC-FM, Indianapolis, Indiana

Georgia Conservatives in Action

Helen Glover, Conservative Radio Host, WHJJ-AM, Providence, Rhode Island

Kay Godwin and Pat Tippett, Co-Chairs, Georgia Conservatives in Action

Becky Gerritson, President Wetumpka TEA Party, Wetumpka, Alabama

Donna Goeddaeus, Northwoods Patriots Tea Party, Conover, Wisconsin

Green Bay (Brown County) Wisconsin TEA Party

Greencastle Defenders of Liberty (Indiana)

Ron Hei, Tea Party Patriots of Covington County

Wally Hauck, Ph.D., President of Optimum Leadership, Member of Milford, CT Republican Town Committee

Hamilton County Patriots (Indiana)

Mark Herr, The Midsouth Tea Party (Tennessee)

Marcia Hora, Iowa Grassroots Coalition

Dustin Inmman Society, Georgia

Illinois Tea Party

Danny B. Joyner, Commander, Alabama Patriots, Brewton, Alabama

Joyce Kaufman, Conservative Radio Host, WFTL-AM, Palm Beach, Florida

Dave Kramer, Dyersville Tea Party (Iowa)

Las Vegas Valley Tea Party (Nevada)

Janna Loar, State Leader Ohio Counts

Bill McLain, Conservative Radio Host, WORD, Greenville, South Carolina

Michigan Eagle Forum

Montgomery Tea Party (Alabama)

Matt Murphy, Conservative Radio Host, WAPI, Birminigham, Alabama

Reid Mullins, Conservative Radio Host, KTOK, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Lisa Nancollas, Pennsylvania State Coordinator, Tea Party Patriots and Mifflin County Tea Party Patriots

Sara Jo Odom, Eagle Forum of Oklahoma

Patriots of Liberty TEA Party, Auburn, Alabama

Bobbie Patray, President, Eagle Forum of Tennessee

Carol Payne, Eagle Forum, Lubbock, Texas

Pennsylvania Coalition for Responsible Government

Bill Post, Conservative Radio Host, KYKN, Salem, Oregon

John Putnam, Chairman, Jasper County Republican Central Committee (Missouri)

Merre Putnam, State Committeewoman, 32nd Senatorial District

Steve Ramey and David Hancock, Gwinnett Tea Party (Atlanta)

Russell Ramland Park Cities/Preston Hollow Leadership Forum, Dallas, Texas

Jennifer Schubert-Akin, Activist, Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Janet Smith, Local Coordinator, Greenfield Area Tea Party, Greenfield, Indiana

Standpoint Tea Party Patriots (Idaho)

Rainy Day Patriots (Alabama)

Rob Schilling, WINA-AM, Charlottesville, Virginia

Jeff Schwilk, San Diegans for Secure Borders Coalition

Kim Simac and Shirley Kufeldt, Northwood Patriots, Eagle River, Wisconsin

Todd Isaac “Ike” Skelton, Lebanon Tea Party (Missouri)

Janet Smith, Greenfield Area Tea Party (Indiana)

Loretta and Ricky Short, Wetumpka TEA Party (Alabama)

Eunie Smith, President, Eagle Forum of Alabama

South West Pennsylvania Eagle Forum

Pam Stout, Idaho State Coordinator, Tea Party Patriots

Barbara Susco, Florida Eagle Forum

Taxed Enough Already Party, Barbour County, Alabama

Taxed Enough Already Party, Quitman County, Georgia Tea Party North (Indiana)

Brian Tilton, Conservative Radio Host, WTPL-FM, Concord, New Hampshire

Joe Thomas, Conservative Radio Host, WCHV-AM, Charlottesville, Virginia

Vanderburgh County Tea Party Patriots (Indiana)

Dawn Wildman SoCal Tax Revolt Coalition, Inc.

Lynn Woolley, Lynn Woolley Show, Syndicated, Texas

Don and Skeet Workman, Eagle Forum, Lubbock, Texas

Sally Zelikovsky, Founder of Bay Area Patriots and Coordinator of San Francisco Tea Party

Dennis Zellaha, Tea Party Patriots and Iowa Grassroots Coalition (Iowa)

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