Immigration

Immigration is core to America’s strength and has been since our founding. Immigrants invigorate our communities, contribute to our culture, and grow our economy by starting businesses in greater numbers than native-born Americans. But our immigration system hasn’t seen major reforms in decades and is broken and outdated. There are more than 12 million immigrants currently living in the United States without a pathway to residency or citizenship, and more than 4.4 million close family members waiting abroad to join their loved ones through the family-based immigration system. The time is now to make sure that this system works and in a way that is humane, efficient, and accessible.

That is why I support comprehensive immigration reform and was proud to work on the U.S. Citizenship Act, House Democrats’ comprehensive immigration reform legislation. This bill includes measures like the bipartisan American Dream and Promise Act to enable young undocumented students and workers who were brought to this country as children to remain here. The American Dream and Promise Act establishes a process for eligible DACA, Temporary Protected States (TPS), and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) recipients with a pathway to citizenship. This has the potential to provide immigration relief for over 3 million individuals, including over 130,000 Asian American and Pacific Islander immigrants.

The U.S. Citizenship Act also includes the text of my Reuniting Families Act to modernize our family-based immigration system by more than doubling available family-based visas, raising per-country limits, and setting a time limit on visa processing so applicants don’t spend more than a decade waiting for their application to be processed.

Muslim Ban

As one of his first acts as President in 2017, former President Trump issued a Muslim Ban that tore families apart and caused misery and psychological trauma. Spouses and fiancés were separated. Weddings, funerals, graduations were missed. Over 5,000 adopted children of US citizens couldn’t join their families. That is why I introduced the National Origin-Based Antidiscrimination for Nonimmigrants (NO BAN) Act. While I am so grateful that the Biden-Harris Administration rescinded every version of this ban on its first day, the NO BAN Act is necessary so future Administrations cannot reinstate any iteration of this discriminatory policy. The NO BAN Act would strengthen the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to prohibit discrimination on the basis of religion, and restore checks and balances by limiting overly broad executive authority to issue future travel bans. My bill requires a report on the total number of waivers that were granted and the total number that were denied, so we know the truth about what's happening. And it says that if a President does want to implement such a ban, they will have to produce actual evidence of a threat, so that in the future, no individuals are denied entry into the U.S. solely based on their religion.

Protecting Immigrant Workers from Exploitation and Retaliation

Immigrants from across the country report that some employers threaten them with deportation to intimidate workers from protecting themselves against abuse. I introduced the Protecting Our Workers from Exploitation and Retaliation (POWER) Act to stop disreputable employers from exploiting immigrants by directing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to provide immigrants with temporary lawful status and an employment authorization if they have filed a workplace claim against an unscrupulous employer.

Border Policy

Our border policies are in desperate need of reform to ensure that our immigration system is working in the most effective and humane way possible. That’s why I support efforts to modernize our border through improved technology that can stop the flow of deadly drugs like fentanyl and halt transnational criminal activity. I also support providing more resources and funding to ensure that our borders are equipped with enough personnel and asylum agents to enable those seeking refuge have the opportunity to do so.

Safeguarding the Right to Asylum

I do not believe that immigrants seeking refuge in the United States should be labeled as criminals. They should be afforded fair, speedy proceedings and due process rights as dictated by our domestic laws and treaty obligations. And children who enter the country either unaccompanied or with family should never be separated from their loved ones. We need to do more to help children and their families who have no choice but to flee dangerous conditions and seek refuge in the United States by making sure that everyone claiming asylum is held in less restrictive settings and allowed to make their case before an immigration judge.