Democrat Robin Weirauch and Republican Bob Latta might come from different political parties, but it seems they have at least one thing in common.
Both of the candidates running for the 5th District congressional seat are against illegal immigration and amnesty for those already living inside U.S. borders.
‘I am strongly opposed to amnesty,’ Latta said. ‘It’s the worst thing you could possibly do to grant it at this time and allow people to enter illegally.’
Amnesty, which is the act of allowing illegal immigrants to live in the U.S. without punishment for their actions, is also an issue which deceased representative Paul Gilmore was passionate about.
‘It’s clear that the concept [of amnesty] has broken the law in light of the fact that five million illegals have come over in the last seven years,’ Weirauch said. ‘They have flooded our schools, and this has put an unfair burden on the taxpaying U.S. citizens.’
Latta, who agreed with Weirauch about the issues facing taxpayers, said immigrants who are not legal nor citizens of the United States are unfairly leeching off the money of others.
‘Illegals are consuming services here that taxpayers are paying for,’ he said. ‘Those people are taking away from an American who is here legally and correctly.’
Although Weirauch and Latta recognize the fact that gaining legal status in the U.S. is a timely and costly matter, both feel it is a step that must be taken in order to solve the problem of illegal immigration.
‘I realize that people who come here legally are normally put on a waiting list,’ Latta said. ‘But illegals have to realize what a real slap in the face it is when they bypass that law for those people who are doing things right.’
In order to enforce correct immigration into the U.S., Weirauch plans to crack down on enforcement in more ways than one if she is the winner of the election on Dec. 11.
‘First of all, we need to stop employers from hiring illegals which would be a huge help in reducing the flow of people that are coming into America,’ she said. ‘Essentially, we’d be putting a plug in the dike.’
Weirauch also plans on creating police programs that will work to train local officers on issues dealing with illegal immigration.
‘Right now, when the local police come across illegal immigrants, they don’t have any mechanisms to deal with them,’ she said. ‘This must be cleaned up immediately, and if elected, I will do my best to do so.’
Latta, however, wants to reinforce border control with more individuals in order to prevent illegals from crossing into the U.S. unnoticed.
‘We need to strengthen spots where individuals are crossing over,’ he said. ‘This can be done from the ground or from pilot-less drones that can watch over the borders from the air.’
Latta is also concerned with the safety and well-being of the people illegally crossing as well.
‘It’s not a safe manner in how they’re trying to get here and their welfare, of course, concerns me,’ he said. ‘People are found dead in the back of vehicles due to an unnecessary risk that could be eliminated if they had chosen to come over legally.’
But for some students, the well-being of illegal immigrants is not the only concern they have when faced with this issue.
Nick Gamero, junior and member of Latino Student Union, feels that the issue is one that must be addressed, but in a manner that is respectful to all people involved.
‘We need to take into account how the rest of the world is going to perceive us based on the actions we end up taking,’ Gamero said. ‘Perception is just as important as the actual problem at hand.’
