Gov. Malloy: Congress Should Act Quickly on Immigration Reform

Press Release

Governor Dannel P. Malloy signed on to a joint letter calling on House Speaker John Boehner and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to support common sense and comprehensive immigration reform legislation. Such legislation passed the U.S. Senate with strong bipartisan support on June 27, 2013.

"We all recognize that immigrants contribute a great deal to our economy and our culture," the letter reads. "We should make sure they are fully integrated into the social, civic, and economic fabric of American life and have access to the same opportunities to succeed."

The letter, signed by governors from Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington, calls on the U.S. House of Representatives to ratify legislation that will make important changes to our existing immigration reform system to ensure it reflects both our national security priorities and economic expansion initiatives.

The bill will provide a path to citizenship for undocumented residents that includes paying taxes and penalties. It makes important adjustments to the H-2A agricultural guest worker program to ensure U.S. farms have access to the workforce they require to stay viable, and it would give graduate students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics the visas they need to not just study at U.S. schools, but remain in the country after graduation and use their education to strengthen U.S. industry and the national economy.

According to the Congressional Budget Office analysis, these measures are expected to decrease the federal deficit by $175 billion within 10 years.

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