ALBANY — Jim Feldkamp, seeking the Republican nomination for Congress in the 4th District, supports America’s efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. And he agrees Oregon and the nation have a problem with illegal immigration, but he says the problem could be solved if the existing laws were enforced.

Feldkamp hopes to run against U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio in November. Feldkamp shared his views Thursday with the Linn County Republican Women.

This is the second time Feldkamp has challenged DeFazio, who he charged “hasn’t done much” for Oregon during his 20 years in Congress.

A Roseburg native, Feldkamp is a former naval flight commander and FBI counterterrorism agent. Today, he teaches a class on terrorism at Umpqua Community College.

His discussion with the Linn County Republican Women revolved mainly around terrorism. As he explained, al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden turned against the United States when his native Saudi Arabia asked American troops instead of bin Laden’s forces to protect the country.

That led to al-Qaida attacks on the United States, including the World Trade Center attacks in 1993 and 2001, and embassy bombings in Africa in 1998.

“President Bush changed the paradigm of the previous 10 years, when we just took it,” Feldkamp said.

America needs to stay the course in Afghanistan and Iraq, he said, to make good on its word.

“In Vietnam, we showed that our word’s no good,” he said. “Cut and run is a bad policy, bad for our allies. China and Russia will fill the void, and we don’t want that.”

On illegal immigration, Feldkamp said the laws exist already to stop it. He criticized laws that prevent Oregon law enforcement officials from telling the federal government when they come across illegal aliens.