From the Desk of Tom Harkin D-IA

When the new immigration bill was announced I thought I would investigate where our two Senators stood on the issue.
Senator Chuck Grassley R-IA had already listed the "Top 15 Flaws" of the bill on his website.
Tom Harkin on the other hand does not even list immigration on his issues page. Friday I emailed my esteemed senator and voiced my concerns with the bill. Today I received what I assume is the standard response which I will pass along for your reading enjoyment. You can contract Senator Harkin here and let him know that for many Iowans immigration is an issue.

Dear Scott:
Thank you for contacting me. I am always glad to hear from you. I appreciate your views on the need to reform our immigration laws. As you may know, after many months of negotiations, a bipartisan group of senators recently agreed on a comprehensive immigration reform package. Unfortunately, I was not a member of this working group, so while the general outline of the deal has been announced, I have only just received a copy of the bill language. At this time, I am still working my way through the text of the bill.While I have not decided whether or not I will support this piece of legislation,

I feel that we must work to fix our broken immigration system. I will be evaluating the new compromise bill based on the factors that I feel are most important to a comprehensive solution: the need to beef up security along our borders; the need to step up enforcement against those who hire illegal workers; and finally, the need to create a practical solution to allow undocumented workers presently in this country to come forward, undergo a background investigation, pay a fine as restitution for having been in the U.S. illegally, learn English, and maintain a clean criminal and work record.Please be assured that I will remember your concerns when the full Senate proceeds to consideration of this legislation. Again, thanks for sharing your views with me. Please don't hesitate to let me know how you feel on any issue that concerns you.

Sincerely,
Tom Harkin
United States Senator