Issue Position: A Just Immigration System

Issue Position

-Create a pathway to citizenship and protect DREAMers
-No family separation, kids in cages, religion bans, or intentional deportation of families
-Open college accessibility to undocumented students

Watching the news each day about immigration is painful. The Trump administration is doing one thing after another to make legal immigration increasingly impossible and to make the lives of those who have lived here for decades or who are seeking safety or a better life here more painful. It seems as if cruelty is the real goal.

That's not the America I love -- the one that my own Italian and Irish great grandparent immigrants came to. We have been a nation that welcomes immigrants, their energy, hard work and new ideas for generations.

First on my list is ending the pointless infliction of pain--no family separation, or kids in cages, or intentional deportation of families here for decades who have not violated the law. No forcing asylum seekers to wait in camps across the border where they cannot keep their children safe. The same administration that implemented a Muslim ban cannot be trusted by Congress to lead immigration reform -- we need leadership in Congress willing to do the right thing.

I worked for Congressman Frank McCloskey during the last major effort to reform our immigration system, where 2.7 million undocumented immigrants became legal United States citizens. New efforts to address immigration reform must start with a pathway to citizenship and legal protection for our DREAMers.

In Washington, almost 14% of people in our state are immigrants. In the legislature, we've fought to ensure all immigrants have access to the programs, resources, and legal support necessary to succeed here. And, before my time in the legislature, Washington passed a state DREAM Act so that all students -- including those who are undocumented -- can access higher education. This is the approach I would bring to Congress.

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