David Davis Sponsors Good Immigration Bill

By John Gullion, Tribune Managing Editor

For East Tennessee residents questioning why the federal government hasn’t done more to curb the rising tide of illegal immigrants. Congressman David Davis has a simple message: He feels your pain. Davis, R-Tenn., said a piece of legislation that he has sponsored, the Save America with Verification and Enforcement or SAVE Act, is the first step in turning the tide.

"The federal government has not been willing to do its job. I think it’s time for the federal government to do its job," he said Tuesday. "It’s one of the things that frustrates the people in America and it frustrates me as a congressman that the federal government has not done enough on this issue."The SAVE Act includes three main components, Davis said. First he wants to improve border security by adding 8,000 border patrol agents. The act would also provide for an aerial surveillance system using planes and satellite similar to one used in Israel, Davis said.

"We’d know who is coming across the border and who is approaching the border," Davis added.The second step basically would expand the verification program employers use to ensure that prospective employees are legal. Each citizen will be issued a card with a magnetic strip, like a credit card. Employers could then swipe those cards to verify an employees citizenship status."It would clean up the situation so that those employers are protected," Davis said.

"You’re never going to be able to send back 20 million illegals but you can make sure the ones that are here legally was the only ones that get benefits. We mandate employers only hire legal workers but there’s not a good system. It’s hard for an employer to really know who they are hiring."The second part of the SAVE act would also mandate improved cooperation and the cross checking of records between the Department of Homeland Security, the Internal Revenue Service and the Social Security Administration.The third part of Davis’ plan goes to improve a program that is already in place.

The 287 (g) program allows local law enforcement officers to become quasi-Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents. A move has been afoot in Hamblen County to get Morristown officers and county deputies into the program. However, Sheriff Esco Jarnagin said this week that he has been told by an unnamed government official that neither Hamblen nor Morristown police will be accepted into the program due to the fear that local officers could choke the federal system with too many illegal immigrants too quickly and it would be too expensive."What frustrates me," Jarnagin said at the time, "is that the federal government is not preventing illegal aliens from coming across the border, and we are not getting any support when illegal aliens overrun a community."

Davis said that’s not an acceptable answer. Davis wants to make it so that local officers who want to be trained can be. Davis said the answer Jarnagin got this week in unacceptable. Davis responded saying federal monies are available to offset the cost of the training as well as the cost of incarcerating illegal immigrants until ICE officers can process them into the system, Davis said."I talk to people across my district daily. This is an issue that weighs heavy on their minds," he said. "It affects their life either through increased taxes, increased (cost of) incarceration, increased (cost of) health care and increase burden on the educational system," Davis said. "This issue touches other issues that people care about."

"David Davis and I are on the same page," Jarnagin said Thursday morning. "I believe in Congressman Davis. I believe in his view point. Congressman Davis is very energetic about this problem."Davis said once this session is over in Washington, he plans to come to Hamblen County and host a meeting between a homeland security official, himself, Morristown Police Chief Roger Overholt and Sheriff Jarnagin."I’m frustrated with the Democratic leadership (of Congress) not wanting to take on this issue. I’m frustrated with the Republican administration of the executive branch," Davis said. "I think the American people are demanding a fix for this ever growing problem of illegal immigration."