Immigration Group Urges Comprehensive Reform

WASHINGTON – The House Immigration Subcommittee, charged with overseeing our country’s immigration policy, will hold its first hearing. The following is a statement from Marissa Graciosa, coordinator of the Fair Immigration Reform Movement, a project of the Center for Community Change:

“There’s been much speculation on what direction the House Immigration Subcommittee will take this session. Today, we begin to find out if they’re serious about fixing our outdated, immoral and dysfunctional immigration system or if they simply will play politics and allow this problem to continue to fester.

“So far the signs are not encouraging. Indications are the subcommittee under Republican leadership will focus on enforcement and deportation, essentially the same strategy that for decades has failed to bring us any closer to restoring the rule of law to our immigration chaos. Following this short-sighted failed strategy will give us the same results: communities will continue to suffer and our immigration system will remain a mess.

“We continue to advocate for a true and lasting solution to our immigration dilemma. There is no getting around a complete overhaul of the system that includes a path to earned citizenship for millions of undocumented workers who have become an integral part of our workforce and economy. Piecemeal enforcement at the federal and state levels will only bring us more chaos, will prove to be too costly and will devastate too many families, too many communities.

“We urge the members of the Immigration Subcommittee to set the tone for this Congress by engaging in honest debate and working toward a real solution.”

FIRM (Fair Immigration Reform Movement) is a coalition of more than 200 of the country’s largest and most active state and local immigration advocacy groups representing nearly every state. It is convened by the Center for Community Change.