What Does He Really Believe About Illegal Immigration?

In a perplexing turn of events last weekend, Representative Tiahrt chastised the Congressmen and Senators who he claims have voted to provide illegal immigrants with health insurance. His claims stem from the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) that was passed in February (legislation that Mr. Tiahrt opposed).


Tiahrt states that his vote was to oppose a bill that makes it “easier for non-citizens, including illegal immigrants, to obtain benefits.” However, like most things Mr. Tiahrt claims, there is much more to the story. If you look more carefully at the legislation, you will see that his statements regarding SCHIP benefits for illegal aliens are decidedly false, and that his motivations are suspect


In actuality, under no circumstances does SCHIP allow illegal immigrants to enroll or participate in its benefits. The bill specifically prohibits the inclusion of illegal immigrants, and only allows the possibility for legal immigrants to apply. This legislation, therefore, actually closes the loophole in the current law that does not have citizenship requirements.


Furthermore, current Kansas Senator Pat Roberts, supports the SCHIP program. His stalwart opposition to illegal immigration doesn’t conflict with his SCHIP vote (as Tiahrt would have us believe) because he took the care to actually understand the legislation before making a decision on it. Unlike Tiahrt, Roberts realized that the current law was promoting illegal immigration, thus he supported the necessary changes.


If Mr. Tiahrt’s motivation for opposing the SCHIP is because of his supposedly stern stance against illegal immigration, he should have done a better job of determining the impact that this legislation would have on immigrants (both legal and illegal). If the principles behind his decision were in line with his rhetoric, then his vote appears to be one of negligence and haste.


I believe, however, that Mr. Tiahrt is actually all talk. He knew what he was voting for, and he knew that his vote would support and promote illegal immigration. While he might talk like a true conservative that is ideologically opposed to illegal immigration, I believe that Mr. Tiahrt is actually sympathetic towards liberal and Democratic positions of illegal immigration, and his votes back me up.


In 2007, Mr. Tiahrt was a co-sponsor of the 2007 DREAM Act (the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act). This piece of legislation was, among other things, an attempt to give in-state tuition to illegal immigrants. While Tiahrt’s efforts to get this legislation through Congress ultimately proved to be futile, it has recently been reintroduced for debate.


Again, Mr. Tiahrt didn’t just vote for this legislation that used our tax dollars to provide incentives to those that fail to follow U.S. law, but he was actually the co-sponsor of this liberal legislation. Are these the actions of a true conservative?


On the issue of illegal immigration, Mr. Tiahrt has again proven to Kansans that he is NOT the true conservative he claims to be. He has been given a D- grade for opposing amnesty and illegal immigration, and it comes as no surprise that he failed to win the endorsement of former U.S. Congressman Tom Tancredo, the leading opponent to illegal immigration in the United States.


What is most troubling about this issue, however, is that Todd Tiahrt continues to manipulate Kansans with his rhetorical claims about being a true conservative. He says he is opposed to illegal immigration, but then goes out of his way to support multiple pieces of legislation that promote it. I believe that Tiahrt should answer for these disparities. If he really is opposed to illegal immigration, he should vote like it; and if he wants to lend support for unlawful residents, then he should be honest about it.


Either way, when it comes to Tiahrt’s positions on illegal immigration, Kansans are decidedly not getting the representation they elected nor the representation they deserve.


Legally yours,

Publius