Rand Paul: Immigration Bill Should Address National Security After Boston

[ProSense]

Rand Paul: Immigration Bill Should Address National Security After Boston

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) argued in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) Monday that an immigration reform bill should address national security concerns raised by the Boston Marathon bombings last week. Paul's letter asks for increased scrutiny over letting in immigrants or giving student visas to people from "high-risk areas" like the Chechen Republic in Russia.

"We should not proceed until we understand the specific failures of our immigration system," Paul wrote in the letter. "Why did the current system allow two individuals to immigrate to the United States from the Chechen Republic in Russia, an area known as a hotbed of Islamic extremism, who then committed acts of terrorism? Were there any safeguards? Could this have been prevented? Does the immigration reform before us address this?"

Paul concluded his letter with a request to explore ways that legislation could stop a future attack like the one in Boston: "I respectfully request that the Senate consider the following two conditions as part of the comprehensive immigration reform debate:One, the Senate needs a thorough examination of the facts in Massachusetts to see if legislation is necessary to prevent a similar situation in the future. Two, national security protections must be rolled into comprehensive immigration reform to make sure the federal government does everything it can to prevent immigrants with malicious intent from using our immigration system to gain entry into the United States in order to commit future acts of terror."

Here's the full text of the letter:

- more -

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/rand-paul-immigration-bill-should-address-national-security

From the letter:

In 2002, Congress set up the National Security Registration System (NSEERS), yet it was suspended in 2011 by Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano. That system had problems, yet was still based on the practical idea that extra screening is necessary from nations that have a higher population of extremists. Congress might need a similar system updated for current circumstances to be rolled into comprehensive immigration reform.

Didn't the brothers come here in 2002-2003 when they were 9 and 16 years old?

[ProSense]

1. Kick for

this kooky fraud.

[treestar]

2. So every other immigrant is somehow suspect

Because something was done by an immigrant. RWers are shameless. Now he's advocating for bigotry against Chechens. Because two Chechens committed a terrorist act.

[pampango]

3. All the while Rand is winking at tea partiers: "I know you have been upset I have expressed support

for immigration reform. Well, I want to run for president so I have to sound "presidential" sometimes and have some moderate quotes out there I can use during the campaign. Rest assured that I will slow this immigration reform down until we can get enough republican senators to filibuster it."