Its Past Time For Comprehensive Immigration Reform

Dear Friend,

At the base of the Statue of Liberty there is an inscription that reads "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free." This spirit of new freedoms and greater opportunities has welcomed generations of immigrant families to America, mine included.

I am a third generation Italian-American on my mother's side. My grandfather immigrated from Italy to America and married a first-generation Italian American. Today, as they have since our nation's founding, immigrants play an important role in our economy, society and culture. Leaders in business, government, science and philanthropy are working hard every day to better our communities and country.

Unfortunately, our immigration system is broken. It's past time we fix it. We cannot do this through piecemeal steps. We need to take a comprehensive approach that addresses the whole problem.

Recently, a bipartisan group of Senators released their plan to reform our immigration system. A similar group in the House of Representatives will soon be releasing its own bipartisan plan. Other House bills are being introduced that address several aspects of our immigration system.

The political-will finally exists to fix our nation's immigration system. Now we must make sure it is done right.

We're a nation of laws. And it's important that we enforce those laws. Immigration reform must strengthen our borders and be fair to U.S. taxpayers.

We're also a nation of immigrants. More than a million immigrants come to our country every year in search of greater opportunities for themselves and their families. They strengthen our nation and contribute to our economy. Reforms should allow immigrants to earn the right to join us as fully participating taxpayers.

Comprehensive immigration reform must establish a streamlined program for temporary workers, and create an earned path to citizenship for the more than 11 million unauthorized immigrants who are currently living and working in our country.

That path cannot and should not be simple amnesty. It should be an earned path to citizenship that requires steps like passing a background check, paying a reasonable fine and any back taxes, and going to the back of the line, while continuing to live and work in the U.S., behind those who are playing by the rules.

Comprehensive immigration reform should include the DREAM Act. I have supported this from day one. We have sons and daughters who were brought to our country at a young age, through no choice of their own. They went to our elementary schools and walked across the stages at our local high schools to get their diploma. Now they want to go to college or serve our country. One of these students could be the one who ends up curing cancer or the common cold. One could be the next recipient of the Silver Star or Congressional Medal of Honor. One could win a Nobel Peace Prize. The potential is unlimited. We should not deny these young people the opportunities they have earned or send them away from the only country they have ever known and loved.

Comprehensive immigration reform must address the 45,000 non-citizen husbands and wives who are serving our country in the Armed Forces. Those who serve honorably in our Armed Forces should be able to expedite the citizenship of their family members. The brave men and women who serve in our armed forces are willing to fight and die for our nation - the last thing they should have to worry about is their family's immigration status while they are on the battlefield. I've written legislation to make sure this happens and this must be a part of comprehensive immigration reform.

As Congress takes up comprehensive immigration reform, I will work to include policies that will:

• Strengthen our borders, provide the appropriate number of border patrol agents and supply them with the resources and technology they need to protect our land and maritime borders;
• Focus enforcement of our immigration laws on criminals and national security threats, including transnational crime and drug traffickers;
• Give local law enforcement more flexibility in complying with the Department of Homeland Security's Secure Communities Program;
• Create an earned path to citizenship that requires fair and reasonable steps;
• Expedite the naturalization process for our military personnel, veterans, and their families;
• Reform our current seasonal worker visa program and give agricultural workers the ability to earn legal status, provided they meet certain requirements, such as paying taxes and any fines;
• Enact into law President Obama's deferred action policy for individuals brought to this country as children, who are under the age of 30 and pose no criminal or security threat (the so-called DREAMers);
• Provide immigration benefits to same-sex couples;
• Reduce the backlog of visa applications that have been pending for extended periods of time, while ensuring that background checks are conducted to protect our national security.

Immigration reform is a top priority for our district and nation. By working together, we can comprehensively reform our immigration system to make sure the opportunities and freedoms offered by America are not only for those born within our borders, but also to those who came to our shores in search of a better life.

Sincerely,

Mike Thompson
Member of Congress