Legal Immigrant Runs for US Congress to Fight Illegal Immigration

Vijay Kumar, a Bellevue resident, is running for the Republican nomination in the August 7th primary for the 5th US Congressional district, presently held by Rep. Jim Cooper (D).  A legal immigrant who has lived in Nashville for twenty-one years, Mr. Kumar’s platform emphasizes a strict immigration policy that centers on enforcing existing laws and protecting our borders, helping the U.S. develop a broad strategy to win the  war against terrorism, promoting energy independence, and pro-life and pro-family legislation.

“As an immigrant, I know firsthand the value of what it means to come to America lawfully. I am grateful for being given the opportunity to live the American dream.” says the Indian American sales professional.

A former liberal who worked on Jim Cooper’s and Al Gore’s campaign in 2000, Mr. Kumar believes that Congress has failed to take leadership on the key issues of the War on Terror, illegal immigration, energy policy, and family values. It is time for new leadership.

The first sentence of our Constitution explicitly states that the government is to provide of the common defense of our land.  The federal government has a constitutional responsibility to secure our borders.  We must work with The Department of Homeland Security to address illegal immigration.  It is unjust to those who have waited their turn and abided by the rules to ignore those who break the law.  This encourages a culture that disregards the rule of law and unfairly casts suspicion on all immigrants.    

Mr. Kumar supports legislation to make English the official language of the US.  Coming from India, with its dozens of languages, Mr. Kumar has seen, first hand, how multiple languages adds to bureaucratic confusion, polarizing of ethnic groups, and governmental inefficiencies. One large racial minority should not be given preference over all other racial groups. A common language will have a unifying influence, assisting all minorities in assimilating better, affording greater opportunities in our society. 

 Securing our borders works hand-in-hand with the global war against terrorism. Many in congress believe that the current conflict involves the US & Israel versus Muslim Arabs.  Mr. Kumar is one of the few candidates who will openly identify the enemy, not as “terrorism”, but by its real name, Universal Jihad, the absolute and universal conquest of all Non-Muslim nations.  Terrorism is a technique, a weapon, and not an entity of itself.  The end-goal of the Jihadist is the subjugation of the “infidel” world. It is not merely a war against the United States and coalition forces; it is a crisis wherein the very existence of Western civilization is threatened.

Therefore Jihad must be countered in many ways, not simply on the battlefield.  The war must be waged on two fronts: ideologically and militarily.   Only after a concerted effort to destroy the ideology behind Universal Jihad can we hope to win the war against militant Islam and the terrorism that it creates. Finally, we must create a united front of democracies to combat the global problem of terrorism.

Our prosperity as a nation depends on us breaking-free from our dependence on foreign energy sources.   Mr. Kumar supports the initiatives proposed by John McCain.  Unlike many of the Democrats’ proposals, which are more a manifesto about what they are against, than solutions to energy dependence, the McCain’s plan does not exclude any current or future technology.  His initiatives include expanding domestic oil and natural gas exploration and production, pushing technology to help free our transportation sector from its use of foreign oil, cleaning up our air and addressing climate change, investing in clean, alternative sources of energy, promoting energy efficiency, and addressing speculative pricing of oil. Mr. Kumar believes that these actions will help America re-establish its energy independence.

The foundations of America rest in our belief in the unalienable rights of,  “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”  The foremost and most fundamental of all American, civil and human rights is the right to life.  Because life is such a precious gift, that must be protected and honored by all; Mr. Kumar is a supporter of pro-life legislation.  

In many ways Vijay Kumar is truly a different candidate: a (legal) Indian immigrant campaigning against illegal immigration, a conservative Republican running for a traditionally Democratic congressional seat, a novice against, and a strong and established incumbent.  At first glance, his candidacy might seem improbable.  However, it is no more improbable than a man who came from Hyderabad, India in 1979, with nothing but possibilities to achieve the American dream.  As Mr. Kumar has stated, “If America was a country of racists as its detractors portray, I would be a busboy at a fast-food restaurant, not running for the United States Congress.” From the first day he set foot on American soil, Vijay Kumar knew he was born with an American soul.

Vijay Kumar, a Bellevue resident, is a Republican candidate for U.S. House of Representatives, Tennessee’s 5th District. You may reach him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .