Immigration

Congressman Matheson believes in securing our borders and that it is the federal government’s responsibility to review and process all persons seeking admission to the United States. Immigration has been the subject of legislation since the nation’s founding and Congressman Matheson does not condone anyone breaking the law. He supports reforms that encourage legal immigration and ensure that everyone is held accountable and plays by the same rules.

Immigration is a topic that should be considered on a federal level, rather than creating a patchwork of state-by-state laws. Congressman Matheson believes that the federal government needs to do a better job of enforcing current law and strengthening it by providing additional resources for combating illegal immigration. This must begin at our country’s borders.  Secure and well- managed borders are critical to our national defense and Congressman Matheson has always supported increased security initiatives, including hiring more border patrol personnel, improving transportation and cargo security, and developing a better entry/exit system to track foreign nationals. Additionally, he has advocated for the use of biometric identifiers and also to authorize members of the military, under certain circumstances and subject to specific conditions, to assist the Department of Homeland Security with border protection functions.

Employers also have a responsibility to help combat illegal immigration.  Congressman Matheson recognizes that many American businesses rely on immigrant workers and believes there should be accountability in the system to ensure that everyone plays by the same rules. He supports the use of the E-Verify program to check employment eligibility.  

Additionally, the federal government needs to consider bipartisan reforms that make common sense fixes to flaws in the current system.  One area that deserves attention is increasing the tools and interoperability available to enforcement agencies to ensure that we know exactly who is in our country at any given time.  America’s immigration system must be one where everyone who seeks entry into our country recognizes we are a nation of laws and respects this tradition.  The federal government must also consider how our country addresses traditional, legal immigration.  We have always been proud that America is the leader in technology and innovation, and current times are no exception.  The federal government must address long overdue and outdated employment-based immigration practices to encourage talented individuals throughout the world to take advantage of American universities, and to remain in our domestic workforce.