[Editors Note: The editors of HUMAN EVENTS asked a group of well-known conservative leaders to outline what they believe the public policy priorities ought to be for the conservative movement following last week's Republican election victory.] PART 8: Congress's first order of business should be to deal with the big issue that received the silent treatment during the campaign, but which is the hottest issue at the grassroots: Since the U.S. Constitution makes it the duty of the federal government to "protect each of [the states] against invasion," Congress should close all our borders to illegal entry by using increased personnel, technology, aerial surveillance, and military troops. Although 4,000 illegal aliens enter daily across the Arizona border alone, since 9/11 the Border Patrol has been increased by only 1,300 agents. The government has no way of separating out Middle Easterners, persons who committed crimes in the United States, returned to Mexico, and then are reentering our country, and persons with communicable diseases. The Border Patrol estimates that over the last year it apprehended 55,890 people who are OTMs (Other Than Mexicans), that 190,000 have melted into the U.S. population, including aliens from Afghanistan, Bulgaria, Russia, China, Egypt, Iran and Iraq. Let's have an accounting of who is responsible and what our Homeland Security is doing about this. Control Driver's licenses Congress should pass a law to cut off highway funds to states that grant driver's licenses to illegal aliens. This is a national security issue and surely it is a more important use of the federal spending power than cutting off highway funds from states that don't nag drivers about wearing seat belts. Congress should use its 60-day window to prohibit the Bush Administration from going forward with a Social Security "totalization" agreement with Mexico. Totalization would enable the illegal aliens to join our Social Security system with credit for time spent working illegally. No Amnesty Congress should stiffen its backbone against the Bush Administration plan to grant amnesty to illegal aliens under the euphemism of giving "the millions of undocumented men and women now employed in the United States . . . a new temporary-worker program that will match willing foreign workers with willing American employers when no Americans can be found to fill the jobs." Millions of foreigners are "willing" to work for a few dollars a day and Americans are not willing to work for Third World wages. Terminate H-1B visas, since the U.S. has thousands of unemployed American engineers and computer specialists. Since millions of Americans are without health insurance, repeal the federal laws that require local American taxpayers to pay for emergency medical care and schooling for illegal aliens, and enforce the law that forbids states to grant the subsidy of in-state college tuition to illegal aliens. More:

Part 1: Enact School Choice, Cut Taxes, Improve Cultural Climate

Part 2: 'Ownership Society' Will Limit Growth of Government

Part 3: Fiscal Restraint, Marriage Amendment, Constitutionalist Judges

Part 4: Great Opportunity to Revitalize Reagan Republican Party

Part 5: Ten Steps Toward Smaller, Better Government

Part 6: Keep Moving Toward Lower, Flatter Tax Rates

Part 7: A Call For Conservatives to Debate Foreign Policy

Part 8: Get Borders and Illegal Immigration Under Control