Immigration
Congressman McGovern feels that immigration laws need to be tough at the border, and that American workers and immigrants who came to the country legally should not be punished for businesses’ exploitation of cheap and illegal labor. However, the Congressman also feels that there needs to be a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants who are already here, and the federal government should take bold steps to require them to pass background checks, learn English, and pay a fine.
Congressman McGovern supports immigration reform with four key components: First, we must improve the effectiveness of our border security to prevent people from crossing the border illegally. Second, we must crack down on employers who recruit, hire and exploit illegal workers. Third, we must develop a common-sense approach to people who are already here illegally, to bring them out of the shadows and onto a path to citizenship. And fourth, we must have an effective and efficient system in place to process, in a timely manner, the large volume of requests to legally visit or immigrate to the United States.
Immigration reform is an issue that has been put off and pushed down the road for too long, and Congressman McGovern supports immediate bipartisan action on the issue to solve the broken immigration system once and for all.
More on Immigration
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA), joined fellow House Democrats Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Luis V. Gutiérrez (D-IL), and Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA) in introducing new legislation to protect children and other vulnerable groups in immigration proceedings by ensuring access to counsel, legal orientation programs, and other post-release services.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA) released the following statement in response to the statement by Donald Trump calling for a “complete shutdown” on entry to the United States for all Muslims.
"Our nation was founded on the fundamental belief of freedom of religion and we welcome and respect people of all faiths.