The evidence that illegal immigration and mass immigration are harming our country is overwhelming and irrefutable. Congestion, environment, crime, health care, education — the costs are too high for the American family to continue to bear.

Since immigration burst on the scene as a major national issue some 10 years ago, the term “reform” has been associated with those who believe that large-scale illegal immigration is a serious problem and overall levels of immigration need to be reduced.

Any level of illegal immigration is unacceptable, and current legal immigrant admissions of about 1 million persons each year are entirely too many. Any measure that increases either illegal or legal immigration violates this principle. Immigration needs to be reduced.

The 1986 amnesty was a failure: Rather than reducing illegal immigration, it led to an increase. Any new amnesty measure will further weaken respect for our immigration law. Therefore, all amnesty measures must be defeated. Laws against illegal immigration must be enforced if they are going to act as a deterrent. Redefining illegal aliens as “guest-workers” or anything else is just that — a redefinition that attempts to hide the fact it is an amnesty, not reform.

We must restore moderation to legal immigration. Beginning with the recommendations of the Jordan Commission in 1995, we need to restrict immigration to the minimum consistent with stabilizing the U.S. population. All admission of immigrants should come within a single, stable ceiling which is periodically reviewed on the basis of a reasoned, explicit goal of achieving population stability. We should abolish special preferences such as the Cuban Adjustment Act.

Robert Petersen

Albert Lea