Immigrants will continue to be to essential to the economic growth and vitality of our nation. New immigrants accounted for more than 50 percent of the civilian labor force growth between 1990 and 2001. According to some projections immigrants will account for half the workforce growth between 2006 and 2015 and all of the growth between 2016 and 2035.

Our immigration system is unable to meet the demands that are being placed on it. A comprehensive approach to immigration reform is desperately needed. Hinojosa endorses the Democratic principles and priorities for immigration reform, which include:

• Family Reunification: The current statutory ceilings for family and employment-based immigrant visas are no longer adequate and have resulted in unacceptable immigration backlogs. The fact that the sibling of a United States citizen born in the Philippines must wait twenty-two years to adjust status is just one example of our unfair immigration policy.
• Earned Access to Legal Residency: An earned legalization program would adjust the status of the many hard-working, law-abiding, and tax-paying immigrants, as well as students educated here, who have resided in the United States for many years.
• Immigrant Student Adjustment: There are tens of thousands of young students, who, despite their successes both in and out of the classroom, face a future of uncertainty due to limited access to affordable tuition, restrictions on financial aid, and undocumented immigration status.
• Border Safety and Protection: Our immigration system must provide safety, security and stability at our borders. Border patrol agents must have the necessary resources to enforce the law and ensure safety and due process protections at our borders.
• Enhanced Temporary Worker Program: An enhanced temporary worker program should provide an appropriate mechanism for workers who wish to move between their home country and the U.S. to benefit from new economic opportunities and serve as a way for recent arrivals to the U.S. to earn permanent status.
• Civil Liberties: The civil liberties and constitutional rights of immigrants and visitors must be respected.

Congressman Hinojosa supports the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act, which addresses the following issues:  border security; state criminal alien assistance; essential worker visa program; enforcement; promoting circular migration patterns; family unity and backlog reduction; adjustment of status for H-5B non-immigrants; protection against immigration fraud; civics integration; and, promoting access to health care.