Onder Pans Immigration Decision
http://blogs.columbiatribune.com/politics/2008/06/onder_pans_immigration_decisio.html
June 17, 2008
Congressional contender and state Rep. Bob Onder, R-Lake Saint Louis, condemned a U.S. Supreme Court decision that made it easier for individuals who overstay their visas to seek to remain in the United States legally.
From the AP:The court ruled 5-4 Monday that someone who is here illegally may withdraw his voluntarily agreement to depart and continue to try to get approval to remain in the United States.
The decision essentially embraced a proposed Justice Department regulation governing the treatment of similar cases in the future.Samson Dada, a Nigerian citizen, stayed beyond the expiration of his tourist visa in 1998. He married an American the following year and soon began trying to obtain a visa as an immediate relative of a citizen. But Dada and his wife apparently failed to submit some documents, causing immigration officials to deny the visa.
Onder said the decision “created new rights for illegal aliens out of thin air.”
“When I get to Washington, I will fight for the values that Missourians hold dear,” said Onder in a statement. “And one of those values is respect for the rule of law. I will fight for effective law enforcement against illegal immigration in Washington just as I successful fought for it in our own state capitol in Jefferson City.”
Onder is in a five-way Republican primary in the race to replace U.S. Rep. Kenny Hulshof, R-Columbia. Another candidate for that post - former state Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-St. Elizabeth - addressed the issue of immigration earlier this month.
