Immigration

Immigrants from all over the world have made tremendous contributions to our society and our economy since the birth of our nation. Our immigrant families are an invaluable part of our communities in the 36th District.

Our immigration system is broken, however, and I am working with Democrats and Republicans toward a comprehensive immigration system that is rooted in common sense. For far too long, Congress has failed to act on a comprehensive plan for reform. I believe that any comprehensive immigration reform plan must be bipartisan, secure our borders, uphold the immigration laws we already have, protect our workers and businesses, and include an earned pathway to citizenship for those who work hard and play by the rules. It is time to put aside the political games and work together in a bipartisan effort to address this critical challenge that will secure our borders, improve our economy, provide our businesses a stable workforce, and reduce the deficit by $800 billion.

I strongly support passing the DREAM Act, which will provide our students who are in the United States through no fault of their own the opportunity to get a high-quality education, help grow our economy, serve this country in our military, and contribute to the future of the only nation they have ever called home.

Unfortunately, instead of allowing a vote on the bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform bill, which passed the Senate over one year ago on September 1, 2014, House Leadership opted to bring two highly partisan bills to the floor which had no chance of becoming law.

H.R. 5230 eliminated the protections for children who are victims of human trafficking and sexual abuse that were enacted with bipartisan support in 2008, and failed to provide adequate support to address the humanitarian crisis at the border.

H.R. 5272 would have rolled back and prevented the implementation of the Dream Act, which allows young people who were brought to this country as children, through no fault of their own, to stay in this country if they are serving in the military or attending college.

Neither of these partisan bills would have solved the crisis at the border or addressed our nation's broken immigration system in the long term. I oppose these bills and I would have voted against both of them. I will continue to work with Members from both parties to achieve comprehensive immigration reform that will reduce our deficit and improve our economy.