U.S. Senate Candidate Ken Cope Details Four-Point Immigration Reform Plan

Midlothian, TX, February 13, 2014 --(PR.com)-- Saying that Republicans should be leading the immigration reform effort in a "spirit of compassion and inclusion," U.S. Senate candidate Ken Cope has announced a four-point reform plan, with tight border security as the mandatory first step.

"Our southern border is more than an immigration issue. It has become a national security threat because of Congress' failure to insist on border security and the Obama administration's refusal to enforce existing laws," Cope said. "Just about anyone can sneak into the U.S. from Mexico today, and I'm much more worried about terrorists with bombs than I am with poor people seeking a better life."

For Cope, who is challenging incumbent Sen. Cornyn in the March 4 primary, the first pillar of the four-point plan is a truly effective border fence, which the retired Army Lieutenant Colonel says could be built by the Army Corps of Engineers within a year. The Cope Immigration Reform plan also involves:
• Expedited citizenship for illegal immigrants who join and serve honorably for two years in the U.S. armed forces or as fire, police, or medical first responders.
• A special provisional Social Security card for other illegal immigrants that would legalize their status but not confer citizenship. This would assure they pay taxes and come out of the shadows economically.
• Establishment of English as the official language, to assure assimilation.

"I oppose amnesty, but I also believe that Republicans should oppose mass deportation as contrary to the value we place on families," Cope said. "Deportation should be limited to felons – including the more than 250,000 criminals currently in our prisons – and to people who fail to comply with the new rules my plan would put into place."

Cope emphasized that despite the provisional Social Security card, immigrants who are here illegally would go to the end of the line in terms of applying for citizenship. The card would simply confer a temporary pre-citizenship status and stabilize the system while the orderly processes of acquiring citizenship can work.

"Republicans, including Sen. Cornyn, have let Democrats control the message and paint us as anti-immigrant. That's not the truth at all, and that is why Republicans need to be leading this effort in a spirit of compassion and inclusion."

Cope added that his plan "reflects a sense of urgency that too many current immigration proposals lack," and that moving quickly to tightly secure the border would reduce the cost of the immigration system and give Americans, especially those living along the border, a greater sense of security.

Cope has pledged that if elected, he will serve no more than two terms in Congress. He has also vowed to severely limit his own future campaign fund-raising, in order to concentrate on representing Texas and to do his part at minimizing the influence of money in national politics.

Information about the campaign and about all of Cope's positions on the issues confronting Texans and all of America can be found at the campaign website, www.CopeTexas.com, and the Facebook page, www.facebook.com/copetexas. Cope is also on Twitter at @CopeTexas.