Issue Position: Immigration

Issue Position

The United States is a proud nation of immigrants. Like the generations who came before, the most recent newcomers want what all Americans want: to raise strong families, build safe communities, practice their faith in freedom and seek new and better opportunities for their children.

The United States is a proud nation of immigrants. Like the generations who came before, the most recent newcomers want what all Americans want: to raise strong families, build safe communities, practice their faith in freedom and seek new and better opportunities for their children.

Residents of the 4th Congressional district are closely connected to this proud and historic immigrant tradition. Like their predecessors, today's immigrants work in the toughest jobs for the least amount of pay, contribute to the tax base, open small businesses that create jobs, serve in the U.S. military and add to the unique diversity of America through their social and cultural contributions. It is no wonder that our community considers it a top priority to have an immigration system in place that is fair, preserves family unity, protects our neighborhoods and honors immigrants' significant contributions to our nation.

I am proud to serve as the Chairman of the Immigration Task Force of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. I also serve on the Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security and as the former Chair of the Immigration Task Force of the Democratic Caucus.

My Approach

We need a 21st century immigration system to regulate a 21st century labor force. We need to have a system of legal immigration that employers and immigrants actually use so that we have control over who comes and who is here. We ought to have an immigration system that honors families and keeps them together. People should come to this country with a visa, not a smuggler, and we should have a system that allows them to do so within reasonable limits tied to our economic and societal needs and that is adjusted over time. We don't have that now.

Having a functioning legal immigration system will make a secure border. If the vast majority of those coming to our country have a legitimate, legal, orderly way to do so, they will use it. This would make the human-smuggling business much less profitable, make patrolling the border easier because more traffic is coming through ports of entry and spreads scarce government resources more efficiently across the long international borders we have. A physical fence can lead us to believe that the border is secure.The same goes for spending more money on border patrol agents from the Department of Homeland Security, which is by far our largest law enforcement agency. What will really give us better security is a functioning legal immigration system where people go through it and not around it. Then drug smugglers, criminals, terrorists, and human smugglers will stand out, not blend in; allowing other aspects of border security spending to work better to keep us safe.

There is an estimated 11.5 million undocumented people living, working and raising families in the United States. We need to get those with no criminal records into the system, on the books, and the ability to earn legal status. It is in our national interest to reestablish the rule of law and make sure that everyone -- employers, citizens, immigrants, and law enforcement -- are playing by a clear set of rules that are evenly enforced. That is what comprehensive immigration reform is all about.

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