Immigration
America is a nation of immigrants and our country has been made better by the contributions of immigrants. My maternal grandparents immigrated from Italy and spoke broken English till the day they died. My grandfather served in the Army, built a successful small business, and they raised five children. Fixing our immigration system will provide these same opportunities to future generations, improve our economy, strengthen our communities, and allow us to remain a vibrant and diverse nation.
I welcome the debate on immigration reform and the opportunity to find real solutions for our broken immigration system. As the debate over this important issue continues, there are several provisions I will be looking for in legislation. Those provisions are improved border enforcement, a modern e-verify system, a more sustainable guest worker program, and improvements in the current legal immigration system. Finally, while I oppose blanket amnesty, I am open to considering proposals that address earned citizenship.
Recently, the House voted on legislation related to funding for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. While I do not agree with the President going around Congress to implement any form of deferred action, I could not in good conscience vote to close the door on the young individuals who were provided the opportunity to make a life for themselves in the only country they have ever known. In my view the President certainly exceeded his executive authority when he established the DACA program, but the program has already accepted individuals and made promises to them. Congress must continue to take action to rein in this Administration and prevent unilateral expansion of DACA, but we should not break promises made to those already in the program.
To see more specifics on my position on immigration reform watch the video below.