Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) recently hosted two telephone town meetings with his constituents and polled the participants about their views on immigration reform and government spending.
The town meetings had at least 3,000 attendees who participated in the survey.
In response to the question on immigration reform, 61 percent of respondents said they feel that the border should be secured before other immigration reforms take effect. On the second immigration question, 78 percent said they favor a system that would require employers to hire legal workers.
On the question related to government spending, 72 percent of the participants said the federal government should balance its budget.
“These are sincerely held views by hard-working, law-abiding, tax-paying, good Americans,” Smith said. “I appreciate the participation of so many constituents and look forward to representing their views on issues before Congress.”
Smith represents the 21st Congressional District of Texas that includes parts of Bexar, Travis, Comal and Hays counties and all of Bandera, Blanco, Gillespie, Kendall, Kerr and Real counties.
Approximately 700,000 people live in the 21st Congressional District.
Smith is a fifth generation Texan and native of San Antonio, Texas. He chairs the Science, Space and Technology Committee and serves on the Judiciary Committee and the Homeland Security Committee.