KANJORSKI VOTED FOR AMNESTY – TWICE

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Congressman stretches the facts about his record during debates and in ads

HAZLETON – Congressman Paul Kanjorski is stretching the facts about his record on illegal immigration, but he cannot escape the truth: he voted to grant amnesty to millions of illegal aliens in 1986.

Kanjorski has been saying that he voted against amnesty. He said it during Wednesday night’s debate, he says it during radio advertisements, and he says it during media interviews.

But the record proves he’s stretching the facts.

In 1986, Congress passed a major overhaul of immigration law, the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986. This law “granted amnesty to about three million illegal immigrants for the stated purpose of solving the immigration problem and securing our border. The enactment of the (IRCA) dramatically eroded border control not only by granting citizenship to millions of illegal immigrants but by encouraging millions more to enter into the United States illegally in the hope that they too would eventually receive legal status.” (“The New American” magazine, June 26, 2006).

The IRCA was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Oct. 15, 1986, by a vote of 238-173. Kanjorski voted for that amnesty bill, according to the same magazine article.

A search of the Congressional record shows Kanjorski voted for amnesty – twice. The votes were for the final House version of the IRCA (roll call vote #457, 10/9/86; source: 1986 Congressional Quarterly Almanac) and the final version of the IRCA after it was passed by the Senate (conference report roll call vote #469, 10/15/86; source: 1986 Congressional Quarterly Almanac).

Kanjorski is listed as voting for the IRCA amnesty bill in the book “Anatomy of a Public Policy: The Reform of Contemporary American Immigration Law,” which was written by Michael C. LeMay and published in September 1994. Kanjorski’s vote is listed in Appendix B: The Roll Call Votes Enacting IRCA. LeMay was professor and chairman of the Department of Political Science and director of the National Security Studies Program at California State University, San Bernardino.

A blogger who asked Kanjorski about his stance on illegal immigration in 2006 received a response that included this statement: “In 1986, Congress passed the Immigration Reform and Control Act with my support.” (http://gort42.blogspot.com/2006/08/kanjorski-responds-to-hazleton.html, Aug. 3, 2006)

Kanjorski has also been claiming he voted against giving Social Security benefits to illegal aliens.

Once again, he’s stretching the facts.

On July 19, 2007, Mr. Kanjorski voted to give Social Security benefits to illegal aliens, at a cost of $110 billion. (Roll call #673)

More facts about Paul Kanjorski’s real record on illegal immigration:

·         On June 15, 2007, Kanjorski voted against funding for the border fence. (Roll call #471)

·         In 2005 and in 2007, Kanjorski voted to keep funding so-called sanctuary cities. (Roll call #177, May 17. 2005; Roll call #485, June 15, 2007)

·         Kanjorski has a career rating of D- from Numbers USA, a leading anti-illegal-immigration group.

“Paul Kanjorski needs to explain why he’s running away from his record. He voted for amnesty twice in 1986, and the record and his statements clearly show that. Mr. Kanjorski voted to give Social Security benefits to illegal aliens just last year,” Barletta said. “By granting amnesty in 1986, Mr. Kanjorski is partly to blame for the massive influx of illegal aliens that happened since then. By voting to give illegal aliens Social Security benefits, he’s inviting more to sneak into the country. He must explain his actions to the people of the 11th Congressional District – and he needs to stop misrepresenting his pro-amnesty vote.”