Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (July, 27, 2007) — Organized in the same tradition of past Continental Congresses held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Delegate Jeff Frederick joined state legislators from around the nation for the first-ever "National Security Begins at Home" gathering at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.

Founded by Pennsylvania state Representative Daryl Metcalfe, State Legislators for Legal Immigration (SLLI) is a national coalition of state lawmakers who are dedicated to the mission of protecting American lives, personal liberties, property and jobs from the clear and present dangers of illegal immigration.

“We are a nation of legal immigrants, and my mother is proud to be among that group. Like so many legal residents and naturalized citizens, she followed the rules, obeyed our laws, and did her best to assimilate into American culture. She has never forgotten where she came from, but is proud of her new home,” Frederick said, who represented Virginia at the meeting.

Frederick added: “There are millions of people around the world who are waiting their turn in line. They are following the rules and obeying our laws, but every illegal alien who runs accross our border makes that line longer for those that are doing it the right way. And then these people arrive and are present illegally, and end up costing taxpayers a fortune.”

The group of legislators called upon on the federal government to honor its constitutional duty to secure America’s borders and strictly enforce existing immigration law. SLLI also outlined a comprehensive list of model "National Security Begins at Home" legislative solutions that individual coalition members have either successfully enacted, continue to advance, or will soon introduce in their home states to eliminate all economic attractions and incentives for illegal aliens:

• Requiring mandatory employer enrollment in the federal Social Security Basic Pilot New Employee Verification program.

• Eliminating all non-medical emergency, public benefits for illegal aliens and subsequently requiring verification of lawful presence in the United States to receive them.

• Terminating the professional license of any employer who knowingly hires an illegal alien.

• Maintaining criminal history records of previously detained illegal immigrants.

• Withholding all state and federal highway funding from ”sanctuary cities” that either refuse to report or willingly assist illegal aliens with obtaining employment, housing, education, driver’s licenses or other types of financial assistance and taxpayer-funded, public benefits.

• Establishing tough criminal penalties for anyone convicted of human trafficking.

• Revising state tax codes to penalize non-profits for aiding and abetting illegal aliens.

• Enacting legislation challenging judicial misinterpretations of the 14th Amendment allowing “anchor babies” or children born of illegal immigrants in the United States to automatically obtain citizenship and receive taxpayer-funded public benefits.

• Changing banking laws to prohibit illegal aliens from obtaining access to all financial services, including wire transfers.