WASHINGTON -- With recent disclosures that the two Republicans seeking to unseat U.S. Rep. Chris Carney have employed illegal immigrants, the freshman congressman said he has never had illegal immigrants on his payroll.
"There are no illegal immigrants. We can account for everyone's citizenship," Carney's spokeswoman, Rebecca Gale, said Friday.
Carney, a former political science professor from Dimock who was elected in November 2006 to represent the 10th Congressional District, was asked about the issue one day after Chris Hackett, a candidate seeking the Republican nomination for the seat, revealed that for two years he employed an illegal immigrant to do housekeeping duties in his home a couple of times a month.
It wasn't until last weekend, he said, that he learned the woman was in the country illegally.
Hackett would not name her and or say how much she was paid, but said she received so little pay he didn't withhold Social Security.
He said her immigration status was revealed during a conversation with his wife last week and she was relieved of her duties soon after.
Hackett said he did not know what prompted the revelation and said he has not reported the illegal immigrant to the authorities.
The admission is particularly striking since Hackett's campaign has made much political hay in the past two weeks about his Republican opponent, Dan Meuser, being fined more than a decade ago for employing three illegal immigrants at his Luzerne County company, Pride Mobility.
Meuser and Hackett will face off for the Republican nomination on April 22. The largest vote-getter will challenge Carney, who is unopposed in the Democratic primary, in the November general election.
During his year in Congress, Carney, who serves as chairman of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on management, investigations and oversight, has introduced legislation to root out illegal immigrants in large and small towns across the country.
One proposed bipartisan bill calls for providing local law enforcement training to enforce federal immigration laws.
"Our state and local law enforcement officers need resources and training to deal with illegal aliens. We need to protect our community," he said. The bill would provide resources and reimburse state and local agencies that receive the training.
Carney also co-sponsored a bill that would require local authorities to inform the Department of Homeland Security when they arrest an illegal alien on a felony charge, to ensure the suspect is not granted bail and allowed to slip between the cracks.
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