Letter to the Editor: Tester is not working for citizens

Editor:

During his successful 2006 Senate campaign, Jon Tester took an unambiguous stand against illegal immigration.   His website said, in part: “Our first priority must be to secure ports and borders to keep out terror threats, illegal drugs and illegal immigrants. Jon Tester opposes amnesty for those who are here illegally. People who want to come to America should follow the rules — and we should enforce them. There should be no cuts in line.”

But that was then. The House-passed appropriation bill for the Department of Homeland Security would fully fund DHS’ operations, while preventing the president’s rule-by-decree amnesty from proceeding. The bill is now in the Senate, and Tester is playing word games: He demands a “clean” funding bill for DHS, while saying, in effect, “Let’s talk about immigration later.”  

However, the only way this massive "cut in line" by illegal aliens can be stopped is via the House’s funding bill, which the president must sign — or be responsible for shutting down DHS. In contrast, Obama would certainly veto a “pure” immigration-policy bill that blocked his lawless amnesty.  

Has illegal immigration become a nonproblem since Tester made his 2006 promise? Of course not. The mass border chaos of last summer should be enough to remind everyone of this. Or consider the fact that, according to the Pew Hispanic Center, about 8 million illegal aliens hold jobs (fewer than 1 million in agriculture), while more than 20 million citizens are underemployed or unemployed.

One can never be sure what someone else is thinking.  But it’s clear from Tester’s betrayal of his anti-amnesty pledge that, whomever he’s working for, it’s certainly not us citizens.

Phil Mooney

Bozeman