FEDERATION FOR AMERICAN IMMIGRATION REFORM

FAIR urges a NO vote on McCain/Flake Amendments #359,

#360 and #646
March 25, 2015

The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) is advising all Senators and staff that it
opposes the McCain/Flake Amendment #359 to the budget resolution. Securing the Southern border
is an important element of combatting illegal immigration, however, the McCain/Flake amendment
could undermine that effort. The statutory metric for measuring border security (as set forth in the
Secure Fence Act) is operational control even though the Obama Administration abandoned it years
ago. The McCain/Flake bill appears designed to change the standard for measuring border security to
effective control, a term which both lacks specificity and will likely undermine the definition of
operational control.
FAIR urges a NO vote on McCain/Flake Amendment #359 and will include it in FAIRs Voting
Report.

The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) is advising all Senators and staff that it
opposes the McCain/Flake Amendment #360 to the budget resolution. Last summer, we witnessed
an unprecedented surge of unaccompanied alien minors from Central America illegally crossing the
Southern border, fueled by President Obamas executive amnesty programs. Although deterring future
unlawful entry and streamlining the removal of unaccompanied minors from Central America are
important steps, the amendments provision providing in-country consulate processing of refugee
applications misses the mark. Indeed, the McCain/Flake amendment appears to help implement
President Obama's Central American in-country refugee processing program. And, as we have argued
with respect to the Presidents program, refugee status is generally only appropriate for individuals
persecuted by the government or government actors. Refugee status is not appropriate for generalized
poverty or high crime rates.
FAIR urges a NO vote on McCain/Flake Amendment #360 and will include it in FAIRs Voting
Report.

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FAIR In His Own Words: President Obama Says Congress Has the Power Over Immigration

The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) is advising all Senators and staff that
it opposes Hatch Amendment #646 to the budget resolution. Despite the claims of tech industry
executives, there is no shortage of qualified American science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics (STEM) workers. Labor market data clearly indicate that there is a glut of STEM workers:
11 million Americans with STEM degrees are in non-STEM fields and wages for recent computer
science graduates are down 9% compared to last year.
Yet, the Hatch amendment will increase the flood of low-wage guest workers, harming American STEM
workers and threatening the nations future competitiveness. U.S. tech companies want to significantly
increase the number of H-1B visas because the program allows them to legally pay foreign guest
workers less than their American counterparts. Guest worker programs should supplement the
American workforce when there is a legitimate shortage, not replace American workers to pad the
bottom line of tech companies.

FAIR urges a NO vote on Hatch Amendment #646 and will include it in FAIRs Voting Report.