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The United States is a proud country of immigrants, and Minnesota is a shining example of this history. As with past generations, new Americans want what all Americans want: safe neighborhoods, good schools, and the chance to raise a family and succeed. Immigrants today are often asked to work in the toughest jobs for the least amount of pay, and are cast into the shadows of our society. Our immigration system is broken, and I am committed to working in Congress to fix it.
Passing Comprehensive Immigration Reform
I believe immigration rules need to be straightforward, fair, and predictable. They currently are not. I am committed to passing comprehensive immigration reform and have co-sponsored such legislation in my two terms in Congress. I believe that our reformed immigration system should include a clear path to citizenship for those who are already in the U.S. working and paying taxes. We need to put families first and have an expedited process for family reunification and believe that the federal government has an obligation to clear up the lengthy backlog of family visa requests. I also believe we need to pass The Dream Act, which is legislation designed to increase access to higher education for the children of immigrants and give them an opportunity to succeed and give back to their communities.
Liberian Temporary Protective Status
I am a strong supporter for keeping Liberian Americans in our communities. In 1989, a civil war in Liberia displaced over half the country’s population and many Liberians sought refuge in the United States. More than 30,000 Liberians reside in Minnesota and an estimated 1,000 currently are living under Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) status. Since 1991, these refugees have been granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) status. I worked in 2007 and 2009 to get Presidents Bush and Obama to extend the DED for Liberians in the United States, but now I’m working on a more permanent solution. I have introduced the Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act, which would allow Liberians who were brought to the United States legally under temporary protection status classification to apply for permanent residency.
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Throughout my time in Congress, I have been an advocate of efforts to extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Liberian refugees in the United States. In 2007, I worked with Representative Patrick Kennedy of Rhode Island to successfully petition the Bush Administration to grant Liberian Americans TPS. Because the TPS for Liberian Americans was set to expire on March 31, 2009, Congressman Kennedy and I again worked together to request that President Obama defer enforcement of the deportation order for Liberian refugees. I am happy to report that our efforts were again successful and Liberian Americans were granted protected status for an additional 12 months.
America has a special historical relationship with Liberia. The country was founded as Africa’s first republic in 1822 by former American slaves, with funding provided by the U.S. Federal Government. When Liberia fell into civil war, the U.S. granted refugee status to Liberians fleeing the violence. Since the conflict began, over 3,600 Liberians have sought refuge in the U.S. and Minnesota is proud to be home to over 1,000 Liberian refugees. Although, the violence has diminished, the Liberian government fears that the return of thousands of refugees at once could destabilize the nation.
While I appreciate efforts by the Bush and Obama Administrations to grant protected status to Liberian Americans, many of these refugees have deep roots in our communities. They have established permanent and productive lives in the U.S., cultivating careers and raising families for over a decade. That is why I believe we must set a clear path to permanent citizenship for Liberian refugees living in the U.S. on TPS. To accomplish this goal Congressmen Kennedy and I recently introduced H.R. 2258, the Liberian Refugee Immigration Protection Act. |
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I am a proud cosponsor of H.R. 1751, the American Dream Act. This bill would repeal a 1996 law that prohibits states from granting undocumented children access to higher education benefits. Current law allows undocumented children access to public education through high school. The Dream Act will allow students who entered the U.S. before the age of sixteen and have been living here for five years to access post-secondary education opportunities. Furthermore, the Secretary of Homeland Security would have the authority to adjust the immigration status for qualified individuals, allowing for an application of permanent residency, creating a reasonable path to citizenship. |
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Tragically, there have been several recent tragic incidents of immigrant detainee mistreatment while in United States custody. In April 2007, the federal government acknowledged that it was negligent in the death of an immigrant detainee whose cancer went undiagnosed for nearly a year while he was in custody. There are currently no uniform standards to ensure that immigration detainees receive sufficient medical care. The General Accounting Office (GAO) recently reported to Congress that some detainee facilities lack basic medical care supplies such as first aid kits.
Please know that I find the conditions surrounding immigration detainee care shameful and that is why I support Rep. Zoe Lofgren’s Detainee Basic Medical Care Act of 2008 (H.R. 5950), which requires our government to establish procedures for the timely and effective delivery of medical care for all immigration detainees.
I have avidly supported human rights issues throughout my first term in Congress. For example: I co-sponsored the Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007 (H.R. 1415) and the Habeas Corpus Restoration Act of 2007 (H.R. 1416). These two bills aim to restore the habeas corpus rights to those termed enemy combatants and clarify the correct application of the Geneva Conventions. |
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