Immigration
It’s time to reform our broken immigration system.
For too long, Congress has ignored taking meaningful action to address immigration and as a result we have a flawed system that isn’t working, for immigrants, their families or employers. We need an immigration system that makes America safer, while also recognizing the enormous contributions that immigrants have made and continue to make to our nation. Comprehensive immigration reform should eliminate backlogs, reunite families and meet the demands of our nation’s economy today and into the future.
We must ensure our employers and entrepreneurs can attract and hire the workforce demanded by an innovative, 21st century economy. Our local employers, whether in technology, manufacturing or agriculture, need an immigration system that works for them and helps create jobs. Reforms to our system must also be fair and humane to workers.
I strongly support an earned path to citizenship for those who are here and working. Immigration reform should include the DREAM Act, which would create opportunities for millions of students and young immigrants. As a state that shares a border with Canada, we must prioritize having a safe, secure border that facilitates the efficient movement of employees, visitors and freight across it.
Ultimately, our immigration laws must be realistic and humane. It will take a lot of work, dialogue and compromise, and I am hopeful that Congress will move forward to make comprehensive immigration reform a reality.
More on Immigration
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Suzan DelBene released the following statement reacting to executive actions announced by President Obama to improve our immigration system:
“The influx of unaccompanied children across the southern border is nothing short of a humanitarian crisis that requires immediate action. We desperately need members of Congress to work together in a bipartisan way to develop an effective and humane course of action to address this problem, and I am frustrated that House Republicans are playing politics with this crisis instead of creating a serious proposal to solve it.
WASHINGTON, DC – Representatives Suzan DelBene (WA-01), Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08), Karen Bass (CA-37), Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40), Judy Chu (CA-27), Ted Deutch (FL-19) and Luis Gutierrez (IL-04) introduced the Vulnerable Immigrant Voice Act of 2014 (VIVA). The legislation would provide legal representation to unaccompanied minors and mentally disabled individuals during immigration proceedings, in the wake of the growing humanitarian crisis we confront.
WASHINGTON, DC – Today U.S. Representatives Suzan DelBene (WA-01) and Mike Quigley (IL-05) sent a letter with 56 of their colleagues urging the Obama Administration to take greater action to revise immigration enforcement procedures and provide relief from unnecessary detention and deportation.
On a January evening this year, Juan Andrés Macedo de Alba and a friend were in Blaine when they were stopped by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officers.
Macedo de Alba wasn’t worried, though, because he hadn’t done anything wrong, he said.
But when the officer returned and told him he was in the country illegally, Macedo de Alba started to worry.
“That’s when the panic set in,” he said.
MOUNT VERNON, Wash. - A high school honor student, originally from Mexico, could be deported because he is in the U.S. illegally.
Sixteen-year-old Juan Andres Macedo de Alba now faces an uncertain future. He is a junior in high school, volunteers, and is taking college courses. He arrived in the U.S. when he was nine-years-old.
“Working in me was the best investment I can do for my future,” said Macedo de Alba.
Earlier this year, he was pulled over and immigration officials discovered he is in the country illegally.
While House Republicans have been adamant that immigration reform is all but dead this year, a coalition of women’s groups is hoping to revive the issue, wrapping it into the “war on women” offensive.
SEATTLE - Immigration reform is an issue that often includes the emotional debate about undocumented workers, but there's another piece of the puzzle that's creating headaches and heartaches for some of the region's most promising young minds.
"I come from Mumbai, India," Maithili Gupte says.
Gupte has a master's degree in biology, and works as a cancer researcher in Seattle. She spent years learning bio-tech in America, but she may be forced to leave after her extended student visa expires in February.
THE U.S. House of Representatives has only days left this year to vote on a comprehensive immigration-reform package, building on a bipartisan bill passed by the Senate in June.
This overdue legislation is much needed in Washington state, where repercussions from a broken system cross industries, from orchards and fields to high-tech companies searching for skilled workers.
While U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Medina, is a leader in the House Democrats’ effort as a bill sponsor, disappointingly none of Washington’s House Republicans are agitating for immigration reform.
In the aftermath of a sixteen-day government shutdown that cost our country $24 billion, the message from the American people was clear: we are tired of the partisan gamesmanship and bickering on Capitol Hill. Now, more than ever, the American people are wondering if their Congress can rise to the challenge and pass legislation that lowers our deficit, creates jobs, encourages entrepreneurship, and leads to long-term, sustainable economic growth. We can accomplish all of this if we finally come together and finish the job on comprehensive immigration reform.