Immigration
Since our nation’s birth, Americans have taken pride in the United States as a land of opportunity – a place where any individual willing to work hard has the opportunity to succeed and achieve the American Dream. Throughout the years, our country has enjoyed the benefits of a lawful and organized immigration system.
However, our current immigration system is undeniably broken and in need of reform because it actually encourages illegal immigration. As of 2013, there are more than 11 million undocumented immigrants living and working in the United States. This state of affairs gives illegal immigrants de facto amnesty. Moreover, despite years of discussion, the federal government still has failed to adequately secure our borders. This is not only an immigration issue; it is a threat to our national security as well.
Congress should focus on:
- Strengthening the enforcement of our current laws and enhancing border security.
- Streamlining our overly complex and bureaucratic temporary guest worker programs.
- Providing a clear distinction between legal and illegal immigration that discourages people from entering our country illegally and is fair to those who have done it the right way.
Any effort to fix our deficient system must first start by sealing our borders and ensuring that our border security system employs 21st century technology, among other resources, to permanently stop the flow of illegal border crossings. Without this necessary reform, any new immigration legislation would be ineffective since we would soon find ourselves back in the same position with millions of undocumented immigrants flowing into our country.
More on Immigration
WASHINGTON - Congressman Andy Barr issued the following statement after the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5759, the Preventing Executive Overreach on Immigration Act:
"Today I joined a majority of my colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives in response to President Obama’s unlawful Executive Order to pass H.R. 5759, the “Preventing Executive Overreach on Immigration Act.”
On November 20, Congressman Andy Barr called on President Obama to work with Congress on immigration reform instead of ignoring the will of the people and issuing a unilateral executive order:
TRANSCRIPT
Mr. Speaker –
The American people have spoken and they have spoken clearly - they want Congress and the President to work together in a bipartisan manner to deliver real solutions to the problems facing our country - one of which is our broken immigration system.
WASHINGTON - As Co-Chairs of the bipartisan Congressional Horse Caucus, Congressmen Andy Barr (R-KY) and Paul Tonko (D-NY) hosted the first meeting of the Caucus on March 5, 2014.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Andy Barr released the following statement following President Obama’s State of the Union Address:
“Tonight, I had hoped to hear about how the President will reduce our exploding federal debt, protect the American people from the harmful effects of the new healthcare law, and grow the economy to create jobs for hardworking families who are suffering in this stagnant economy.
“Unfortunately, the President offered the same failed approach of more government spending, more job-crushing regulations, and higher taxes.
WASHINGTON –Congressman Andy Barr today released the following statement following House passage of the FY 2014 Omnibus Appropriations bill:
“The people of central and eastern Kentucky sent me to Washington to rein in out-of-control federal spending, save our country from bankruptcy, and promote the long-term growth of our economy and our workforce.
Congressman Andy Barr will hold a Business Roundtable in Mt. Sterling on Wednesday, January 22nd. Barr will hear from small business owners regarding the challenges they face and discuss solutions aimed at fostering job creation and easing the burden carried by Kentucky’s business owners.
This is a part of an ongoing series of accessibility initiative events Congressman Barr has held across the Sixth District to hear the concerns of Kentuckians since being sworn into office.
Mr. Barr:
The House has voted multiple times to fund the government and to prevent a shutdown.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Andy Barr today announced the launch of his newly re-designed congressional website, www.Barr.House.Gov. This new "Online Office" will serve as an interactive and informative resource for Congressman Barr’s constituents.