Immigration Reform
Immigrants are an important part of our district’s and nation’s history, culture and economy. However, our current immigration system is broken. There are more than 11 million undocumented residents living within our borders. <br />
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It’s time we fix our broken immigration system. We cannot do this through more piecemeal steps. We need to take a comprehensive approach that solves the whole problem. <br />
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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. <br />
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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. We should establish a streamlined program for temporary workers, and address unauthorized immigrants who are currently in our country by creating an earned path to citizenship that requires steps like passing a background check, paying a reasonable fine and back taxes, and going to the back of the line behind those who are playing by the rules while continuing to live and work in the U.S. <br />
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As Congress take up comprehensive immigration reform, I will work to include policies that will:<br />
• 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; <br />
• Focus enforcement of our immigration laws on criminals and national security threats, including transnational crime and drug traffickers;<br />
• Give local law enforcement more flexibility in complying with the Department of Homeland Security’s Secure Communities Program.<br />
• Expedite the naturalization process for our military personnel, veterans, and their families;<br />
• 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;<br />
• 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);<br />
• Provide immigration benefits to same-sex couples;<br />
• 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.<br />
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Immigration reform is a top priority for our district and nation, and I will continue my work on comprehensive reform that strengthens our borders, is fair to taxpayers, allows children of immigrants to get a college education, provides an earned pathway to citizenship for families who’ve been here for generations, and establishes a guest worker program for those here doing the jobs Americans don’t want to do. <br />
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Washington – Today Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05) cosponsored a bill to overturn and defund the President's executive orders banning refugees and those from Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States.
Washington - Today the President signed an executive action to force American taxpayers to pay for a wall along the Mexico border. Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05) released the following statement:
Twelve new local United States citizens were honored Tuesday by the Napa County Board of Supervisors.
“What a special day, to recognize new citizens on Election Day,” said Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, who attended the morning ceremony.
WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-5) today voted against H.R. 5759, the House Republican's legislative attempt to block President Obama's recently announced executive actions on immigration.
WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-5) released the following statement on the executive actions announced tonight by President Obama on immigration.
WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-5) today announced that the Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Santa Rosa, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving six northern California counties, has been awarded a $249,229 grant by the Department of Homeland Security to double its free citizenship education classes in Sonoma and Napa counties over the next two years.
U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-5) announced a $376,423 U.S. Education Department grant has been awarded to Mendocino-Lake Community College.
The grant comes from the Education Department's College Assistance Migrant Program, or CAMP.
Set aside for a moment, if you can, issues of Democratic and Republican politics, homeland security, official language and national identity – all the real but ephemeral concerns around which we organize our national debate on immigration reform, and think for a moment about tides.
Fiery Illinois Congressman Luis Gutierrez stood before a crowd of some 100 North Bay Latino leaders at Chateau St. Jean Winery in Kenwood Saturday afternoon, and told them he would be leaving them shortly to go to the airport to catch a redeye flight back to Chicago.
Though the House Majority’s Fiscal Year 2015 budget was passed by the House today, Sonoma Valley’s U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, who voted against it, said the Senate will not pass the budget, and if it did, the President would veto it.