American Legion calls for rejection of amnesty legislation

The nation's largest veterans organization has called on Congress to reject proposed legislation that would grant amnesty to the 20 million illegal aliens in this country. Instead, the organization advocates aggressive enforcement of immigration laws and stronger border security as a means to reduce the illegal population in the United States.

"Rewarding illegal behavior sets a dangerous precedent and only encourages more to ignore our country's laws. It swells our population, puts an undue burden on American taxpayers and presents a significant national security risk," said National Commander Paul A. Morin.

The organization said the failure of federal authorities to enforce our immigration laws has invited the criminal element to our society. Alien gangs operate in most, if not all, major U.S. cities. Human and drug smuggling operations are prevalent along our southern border. Document fraud and identity theft are rampant among the illegal population. And throughout the country, prisons are overcrowded or full, with about 30 percent of those incarcerated being illegal immigrants.