Mark R. Warner
Immigration
Senator Warner believes our immigration system is in desperate need of reform to meet the needs of an innovation-driven 21st century economy. Our country currently trains the best and the brightest in the world in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields at top American universities, but because of our antiquated visa program, we often send these talented minds back to their home countries to compete against us. If we had the immigration policies in the 80s and 90s that we have now, we might never had had an Intel or a Google because these companies -- just as 40% of all tech companies in Northern Virginia -- have at least one of foreign-born founder.
Senator Warner believes in a comprehensive approach to immigration reform. He voted in support of S. 744, a proposal that would reform our immigration system, double border security, require the construction of 700 miles of fencing along the Southern border, and authorize the use of new radar and unmanned aerial drones to track illegal border crossings. This bipartisan proposal passed the Senate, and Senator Warner hopes his colleagues in the House consider this commonsense solution. The text of this bill can be found at http://go.usa.gov/TJmB.
In the wake of the ongoing crisis at our Southern border, Senator Warner has called on the Administration to demand more accountability from Central American countries. Senator Warner believes these countries must be responsible for curbing the violence that is forcing many to flee. Senator Warner believes this crisis clearly demonstrates the need for a comprehensive immigration fix like S. 744.
Recent News on Immigration
Here is what Senator Warner has been doing recently regarding immigration:
- 11/17/14 -Sens. Warner, Kaine Sign Onto Legislation to Create High-Skill Korean VisasU.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine signed onto bipartisan legislation to provide up to 15,000 visas annually for Koreans with specialized skills that are lacking in the U.S. labor market.
- 07/17/14 -Statement on Border CrisisAs early as June 18th, Senator Warner called on the Administration to demand accountability from Central American countries these children and young people are fleeing.
- 06/20/14 -Statement of Senator Warner on HHS decision to not locate immigrant facility in Brunswick County"This was the right call. Collaboration and local support is absolutely key for the success of a project like this."
- 06/20/14 -Statement of Sen. Warner on Location of Immigrant Facility in Brunswick"The federal government should look elsewhere for an appropriate location for this facility."
- 04/29/14 -
- 02/07/14 -On the Road: Naturalization Ceremony in AlexandriaSenator Warner attended a naturalization ceremony in Alexandria this morning for hundreds of new American citizens and their families. He urged the new citizens not to be afraid to fail and to take care to be respectful of those with different beliefs.
- 01/24/14 -In Letter to Kerry, Warner & Kaine Urge Election Support for El SalvadorIn a letter sent to Secretary of State John Kerry today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner urged the administration to help ensure that the February 2 presidential elections in El Salvador are free and fair.
- 12/12/13 -Skyping with Charlottesville High SchoolSenator Warner spent some time today skyping with Charlottesville High School students about immigration reform. CHS’s Global Citizenship Class has been studying immigration reform using a lesson plan called “Speak Up for Immigration,” which was developed by Senator Warner and the University of Virginia’s education school.
- 11/20/13 -Senator Warner Engages Virginia Students on Immigration ReformU.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) has released a lesson plan entitled “Speak Up for Immigration,” which encourages high school students across Virginia to develop more informed perspectives on immigration reform and participate in the democratic process.
- 11/19/13 -A Visit with VA Chapter of Hispanic Christian ConferenceToday, Senator Mark Warner met with a group of Virginians from the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference in his DC office.
