Immigration Reform

The United States is a nation of immigrants. Whether coming from Norway, like my ancestors, Mexico, Korea or Iran, immigrants are all looking for the same thing: a good education and the opportunity to provide for their families. Immigration is a very complex issue, which is why I support comprehensive immigration reform.

As a country, we must resist zero tolerance, reunite families and remember the values of the United States. We need to replace deterrence with compassion, callousness with humanity and any talk of a border wall with more talk about the Statue of Liberty and the freedom she represents to people around the world.

The president has repeatedly threatened to veto immigration bills that don’t fund a border wall. I have long supported northern and southern border security; however, a wall between the United States and Mexico will do nothing to discourage people who enter the country legally but wind up overstaying visas. Instead of arguing over a wall, Congress and the administration need to work together for a better bipartisan solution on immigration.

The complex problems of the immigration system impact nearly every person in our country and every part of our economy. When families face the pain of separation, each person’s contributions are limited. Profits are lost when businesses cannot find employees with the right skills. Congress must address this challenge.

Accomplishments

• Cosponsored the Keep Families Together Act to halt separation of immigrant families.
• Cosponsored legislation to protect children whose parents are involved in immigration enforcement actions and keep children out of the child welfare system.
• Cosponsored legislation to reform the immigration detention system by ending use of private facilities, repealing mandatory detention and increasing oversight, accountability and transparency of the immigration detention system.
• Consistently supported the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program to protect young undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children and have lived by the law while here from deportation.
• Cosponsored a bill to improve standards and conditions at immigration detention centers across the country.
• Cosponsored the DREAM Act, which would have allowed students that have grown up in the U.S. to have an opportunity to contribute to our society by attaining a college education or serving in the military.