Fixing Our Broken Immigration System

America is a nation of immigrants, and many of us are the descendants of immigrants who came to the United States seeking freedom and opportunity. It is that determination to build a better life for our children and future generations that makes our nation so strong.

Our current immigration system is broken, and has been for some time. It keeps families of legal immigrants and U.S. citizens separated for decades. It allows for the exploitation of undocumented workers. It discourages legal immigration and does not meet the needs of our economy. And it keeps millions of hardworking, law abiding families who have lived in our communities for decades hiding in the shadows.

Rep. Becerra believes in comprehensive immigration reform that is tough, smart, fair and workable. That means:

• Smarter, more accountable and efficient border security which facilitates the movement of people and goods and protects our interests;
• A flexible and sufficient permanent and temporary visa system that promotes the reunification of families, protects workers and is responsive to employer needs and our nation’s labor market;
• Strong employment verification laws which hold employers accountable and which protect all workers; and
• An inclusive legalization program for those who are currently here which requires them to pass background checks, learn English, pay taxes and get on a path to earned citizenship.

Fixing our broken immigration system is essential for the character of our country and the strength of our economy. And if our top priority in Congress is to help grow the economy, immigration reform is a smart economic solution:

• According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimate, immigration reform would decrease the federal deficit by $850 billion;
• Increase real GDPrelative to current law projections by 3.3 percent in 2023 and 5.4 percent in 2033 – an increase of roughly $700 billion in 2023 and $1.4 trillion in 2033 in today’s dollars;
• And strengthen Social Security-- the independent Chief Actuary of the Social Security Administration (SSA) found that immigration reform will add nearly $300 billion to the Social Security Trust Fund over the next decade and would extend Social Security solvency by two years.
• Fixing our broken immigration system will also help small businesses expand, foster innovation, increase productivity, raise wages and help create thousands of jobs in every congressional district.

Every immigrant comes to our country with hope, determination and optimism – reinvigorating America and making America more American. We must uphold that tradition by finally enacting comprehensive immigration reform that honors our values, strengthens the economy, and reduces the deficit.

 

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)

On June 15, 2012 President Barack Obama announced that effective immediately, certain young people who were brought to the United States through no fault of their own as young children and meet several key criteria will be considered for relief from removal from the country or not entered into removal proceedings. On August 15, 2012, USCIS immediately began accepting requests for consideration of deferred action for eligible youth.

Rep. Becerra urges young people who believe they are eligible, to review the DACA guidelines and cautions applicants to avoid providers of fraudulent services and secure help from trusted community and legal organizations.

Since the DACA program began, more than 430,000 applications have been granted to allow these young individuals a chance to contribute to the country they call home. Yet this is only a temporary fix for DREAMers, and no fix at all for their families. Rep. Becerra believes that DACA has been a critical tool for assisting undocumented immigrant youth, but believes that more must be done by passing comprehensive immigration reform.

 

Administrative Actions

President Obama has repeatedly stated his support for comprehensive immigration reform and the need for our Congress to move forward on this issue, but he has also acknowledged that administrative actions can help ease some of the dysfunction that lack of reform creates.

Since June of 2011, the President and his administration have taken steps to move us closer to a common sense immigration policy by announcing several important actions:

• June 2011, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued a memo providing discretion to immigration authorities to place higher priority on cases with individuals with a criminal record and a lower priority on people with no criminal record and young people.
• August 2012, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) started accepting applications for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) for certain young people who were brought to the U.S. as children.
• January 2013, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services released “provisional waiver” regulations that would reduce the time that U.S. citizens are separated from their spouses and children under certain circumstances while those family members go through the process of becoming legal immigrants to the United States. USCIS started accepting applications for these waivers in March 2013.

 

Notario Fraud

Rep. Becerra has been a long-time champion of battling notario fraud in Los Angeles and the bad actors who would use positive developments on immigration to take advantage of the most vulnerable among us, by lying about what changes in immigration law or policy mean and defrauding our communities to seek financial gain.

In 2011, the Department of Homeland Security, The Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission announced a National Initiative to Combat Immigration Service Fraud. USCIS also maintains a website on Avoiding Scams and the Unauthorized Practice of Immigration Law.

These initiatives are important tools aimed at preventing and prosecuting fraud in immigration services. If you are in need of resources to help combat immigration scams, to report dishonest practices, or if you have been the victim of an immigration scam please contact Rep. Becerra's office.