WASHINGTON   –  U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (MO-08) responded today to President of Mexico Felipe Calderon’s address to Congress in which he called an Arizona state law against illegal immigration discriminatory.  In his remarks, President Calderon said the law “ignores reality.”

“The reality President Calderon is surely aware of is that there are 12 to 20 million illegal immigrants in the United States today, and most of them have entered our country over the U.S.-Mexico border,” Emerson said.  “Without a firm commitment from both of our countries to enforce the border, this problem will continue to grow worse.”

Emerson cited economic and public safety arguments even in her state of Missouri as evidence that the U.S.-Mexico border enforcement problem has ramifications for the entire nation.

“The immigration problem affects us in Missouri, too, even though we are not a border state.  We have illegal drug problems directly related to smuggling at the border, drug trafficking, gang violence and illegal workers in our state.  Strict enforcement on both sides of the border would dramatically reduce the severity of this crisis, but we won’t know for sure until the federal government gets serious about enforcing the law,” Emerson said.

To add a disincentive for employers who hire undocumented workers, Emerson has authored legislation that would require certification on tax forms that a company’s workers were legally authorized to be employed in the U.S.

“This is a simple, three-page bill that would increase the potential penalties for illegal hiring practices up to a felony.  We have to remove the number one reason illegal immigrants come to America, and that is to earn money,” Emerson said.  “By narrowing the scope of the problem and empowering local law enforcement, I hope we can give our border security agencies a fighting chance against the remaining criminals who illegally bring crime, drugs and people into our country.”