Congressman Randy Forbes (VA-04) released the following statement today in response to President Bush’s speech on immigration last night:

“The President is right that America needs a change when it comes to immigration. But our most pressing problem is not the need for a new immigration policy; it is the need to enforce our current immigration laws n a charge that falls to the President’s administration.

Today, as I write, there are an estimated 8 n 12 million aliens who have broken our immigration laws and illegally entered the United States. This is a three or four fold increase from only a decade ago.

Unfortunately, there are reports from the Southern border that more and more are crossing nightly in anticipation of a border crack-down, so time is of the essence.

“Enforcing our current laws will protect American wages, improve American working conditions, reduce the overall illegal population, and reduce the number of crimes committed by illegal aliens. It will send the message that we are a nation of laws, and a nation of consequences. It will tell the world that our first priority is defending America’s borders and enforcing our laws, not accommodating those who break them. And most importantly, it will send the message that our loyalty as a country is to those that have made it great n to those who legitimately worked their way into our country because they share our core belief that entry into the United States is not a right, but a privilege.”