This week's questions are about immigration. Last week Ms. Bourdeaux went first, so this week is Congressman Woodall's turn.
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| Woodall (source) |
In response to my invitation to participate in this project, Congressman Rob Woodall's campaign representative Derick Corbett e-mailed me, "I appreciate the generous offer and your zeal to participate in the race. Unfortunately though, as I consider our bandwith and your offer, we have to say no thank you."
I politely replied that the Bourdeaux campaign had agreed to participate; that in the interests of GA 7th District constituents, I hoped he'd reconsider; and that each Monday I'd send him my questions. (Our correspondence is posted here.)
Re: this week's questions, I sent multiple e-mails and a fax with my questions (for which I obtained confirmation of receipt) to Congressman Woodall and to his campaign representative Derick Corbett. For the second week in a row, I didn't receive a reply.
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| Bourdeaux (source) |
Q: Should comprehensive immigration reform be enacted? If so, what should and/or shouldn't be included? If not, why not?
BOURDEAUX: Yes, we need to enact comprehensive immigration reform in this country. Georgia’s 7th district is one of the most diverse communities in the entire nation, and I’m proud of that. We need to celebrate our diversity. We are long overdue for comprehensive immigration reform that recognizes the realities of our communities and labor markets. Part of immigration reform is border security, and the security of our border and our country is best served when we focus enforcement resources on criminals who mean us harm. We urgently need a path to citizenship for the DREAMers, who came here as children and are invaluable members of our communities.
Q: On September 7, the Departments of Homeland Security and Health & Human Services issued a proposal that reportedly would allow the government to indefinitely hold minors in detention. The proposed regulations would invalidate the Flores Settlement Agreement, a decree that has stipulated the treatment of detained underage migrants since 1997. As it stands, children can only be detained for up to 20 days. (source)
Do you support the proposal? If so, why? If not, why not?
CB: No, I do not support this proposal. The Trump Administration’s detention of children is wrong and inhumane, and this proposal is unjustifiable.
Q: Some have called for ICE to be reformed or abolished. What's your opinion?
CB: I believe we need to reform how ICE works. I agree that we need to better check ICE and provide oversight, but ICE itself is simply a law-enforcement agency that we need to monitor. ICE plays an integral role at the border, which is an important function. However, I also see that we need to root out any corruption involved in ICE to ensure a fair, transparent organization.