Our nation was founded and built by immigrants yearning to breathe free. I believe we should continue building on that proud tradition by welcoming newcomers into our nation, while insisting that they learn and follow our language, laws, and history.
The federal government is directly responsible for enforcing existing laws to secure our borders and to ensure the safe and legal movement of people and goods across our borders. Unfortunately, our country’s immigration system is broken.
The current system incentivizes families to separate and send their children alone on a dangerous trek across from their home country to our nation’s border under the false pretense that they will be granted citizenship at the U.S. border. This same system rewards those who break our laws and punishes those that follow them. This does not mean that our system is in dire need of a complete overhaul. In fact, I believe ninety percent of our immigration issues would be solved if we simply enforced existing law.
Respect for the rule of law is a hallmark of our democracy, and it is one of the reasons America has the largest immigrant population in the world. We must work to streamline and improve our visa system so that people who want to come to our country legally are able to do so through the proper channels without unnecessary delays.
I am a cosponsor of H.R. 4760, the Securing America's Future Act, introduced by Representatives Michael McCaul (TX-10) and Bob Goodlatte (VA-6). This bill would enhance our border security, further my efforts to end sanctuary cities, make important visa reforms, expand e-verify and provide a solution for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) population. This bill is not perfect, but it is a good framework that will help strengthen our economy and protect our borders and our communities, while also providing a continued lawful status to those DACA recipients who were made an unconstitutional promise under the Obama administration.
