Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA)

Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA) represents California's 41st congressional district. According to govtrack.gov Rep. Jerry Lewis is considered a moderate Republican.

Have been in two meeting with Congressman Lewis, he says he understands the need for immigration reform. He will not vote for anything that is not accompanied by increased border security as well as measures such as e-verify. We asked him about the DREAM Act specifically, he said he would not vote for it because it did not contain any of these conditions. He did not state his support for either DREAM or CIR ASAP- because they are in committee, and he will not read them until they have left committee. It is unlikely that he will vote for anything that does not have a lot of enforcement additions.

Rep. Jerry Lewis has voted to continued building a fence along the U.S. Mexico border. Rep Jerry Lewis believes that before we can consider immigration reform that we must continue securing our borders,

" “Before we can consider so-called immigration reform, we must get our priorities straight and secure our borders,” said Lewis, the senior Republican on the House Appropriations Committee. “Two years ago, we ended the flawed practice of ‘catch and release.’ In the past year, our increased enforcement has caused a 50 percent reduction in the number of illegal immigrants caught crossing the border. Let’s take the next step this year and ensure border security is more than just a political slogan.” http://www.house.gov/jerrylewis/june152007.html

Rep. Jerry Lewis has a 0% rating by FAIR which indicates a voting record loosening on immigration. Rep. Lewis also has other votes for undocumented immigrants, for example he voted no on reporting undocumented immigrants who receive hospital treatment. In addition, Lewis has also voted on extending immigrant residency rules, and has voted yes on more immigrants visas for skilled workers. http://www.ontheissues.org/CA/Jerry_Lewis_Immigration.htm

Due to the fact that Rep. Jerry Lewis appears to endorse a tougher standing on securing the border along Mexico, extend residency rules, but also believes in not reporting undocumented immigrants, i believe that Rep. Jerry Lewis is most likely to vote yes on D.R.E.A.M. Act or a comprehensive immigration bill given that the bills continue securing the border and that they extend the immigrant residency rules as well as other rules.In the end due to the fact that Rep. Lewis has contradicting votes i will have to mark his stance as unclear.

I wrote a letter to Rep. Jerry Lewis in which I expressed my support of the Comprehensive Immigration Reform ASAP Act of 2009( H.R. 4321). I urged him to support any and all legislation which attempted to reform our immigration system on the basis of family reunification and justice for immigrants. I also specifically mentioned the D.R.E.A.M Act. I received the following reply.

"I agree that we need to reform our current immigration system, which has few effective tools to keep immigrants from entering the country illegally. Because of this failed system, millions of people now live and work in the legal shadows, putting their own livelihood in jeopardy and undermining wages for working Americans.

However, I am deeply concerned that H.R. 4321 will repeat the mistakes of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1987 (IRCA), the last major reform bill that allowed millions of illegal immigrants to seek amnesty.

I opposed the IRCA bill because it did not include sufficient enforcement standards to end the practice of illegal immigration. The flawed amnesty process also allowed as many as a million people to gain legal status through fraud.

Following a similar path, H.R. 4321 would eliminate most current enforcement practices and replace them with "studies" and mandates that new practices be based on technologies which have not yet been developed. It does little to establish a verification process that would protect against fraud during the amnesty phase.

The bill would eliminate the eVerify program that allows employers to verify if new employees hold valid Social Security numbers, and it would end the successful "287g" program that has helped local law enforcement identify criminal aliens and turn them over to federal officials for deportation. I have strongly supported both programs.

I cannot support any legislation that does not accomplish two vital goals: stopping the flow of illegal immigrants across our borders, and ensuring that unscrupulous employers who hire illegal workers are caught and face serious penalties. Unless these goals of border security and ending the jobs magnet are accomplished, I am convinced that no immigration legislation will pass the House of Representatives."

Although Rep. Jerry Lewis didn't mention the D.R.E.A.M Act in his response, he did make it clear that he is unwilling to support any legislation that does not in effect seal off the border. He wants legislation that specifically prevents more immigrants from crossing the border and finding jobs. As stand alone legislation the D.R.E.A.M Act does not address border security, and opponents of the act have already been quick to exaggerate the ability, of those who gain citizen through the act, to petition on behalf or relatives. I believe that Rep. Jerry Lewis is more likely to support comprehensive legislation, akin to Sen. Schumer and Graham's bill. The bill includes some of the more conservative measures, like a natioal I.D card for employment purposes, which are intended to sway conservative members of congress. Unfortunately I think this makes Rep. Jerry Lewis a more Likely Nay voter in terms of the D.R.E.A.M Act. I think he is also far too conservative to be a target for comprehensive legislation advocates, as he will most likely push for draconian security measures above anything else.

Update: He retired from politics in 2013 and died July 15, 2021

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/22/us/politics/jerry-lewis-dead.html