Newsletter: Immigration Reform

Statement

Dear Friend:

America is a nation of immigrants. South Florida, in particular, is geographically a gateway for people from all over the world. People from other nations--who arrived here both with and without documentation--have enriched our nation and community and made tremendous contributions to our economy. Since my time in the Florida Legislature, I have been a proud voice for fairness in immigration. As a State Senator, I sponsored legislation similar to the Development, Relief and Education of Alien Minors (DREAM) Act and fought tirelessly for its passage.

Our current system is broken. With backlogs lasting years, millions of people are kept from reuniting with their family members or contributing to our economy. Many more are deprived of the basic legal rights that our Constitution enshrines.

In Congress, I am fighting to bring America's hardworking immigrants out of the shadows. President Obama showed true leadership by implementing the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy, a measure that protects over a million young immigrants from deportation. The next step should be passage of the DREAM Act, which I cosponsored in Congress to provide safety to countless new Americans and could add upwards of $329 billion to the U.S. economy.

This year, I'm calling on Congress to do what America has demanded and pass a comprehensive immigration reform plan that creates a path for undocumented Americans to obtain citizenship. I am fighting for an immigration system that respects families, strengthens our economy, and better reflects our values as Americans.

In the U.S. Senate, a bi-partisan group of Senators have proposed S.744 - the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act. The bill seeks to strengthen border security, lay out a clear path to citizenship, and clear the backlog of green cards, which prevent immigrant families from reuniting and employers from hiring skilled labor.

Immigration is an issue which impacts all of us, and I want to make sure that you know my stance and my commitment to comprehensive immigration reform.

For a breakdown of immigration services in the U.S., I invite you to visit the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Department's official home page by clicking here.

You may contact me via my official website at www.wilson.house.gov, by phone, and on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and Instagram.

Please share this newsletter with your friends, family, and loved ones.

Warmly,

Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson

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