S.6 Reform America's Broken Immigration System Act
I am writing as your constituent in the 6th Congressional district of Washington. I support S.6 - Reform America's Broken Immigration System Act, and am tracking it using OpenCongress.org, the free public resource website for government transparency and accountability.
I support this Act, except for the wording in the title. The last thing we need to hear is "reform" this, "reform" that. Immigration needs to be revamped totally so that those who want to come here legally may, and those who want to just come here and reap the benefits and fruits of many years of hard working Americans labor....CANNOT.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Trevor Dodge
I support this Act, except for the wording in the title. The last thing we need to hear is "reform" this, "reform" that. Immigration needs to be revamped totally so that those who want to come here legally may, and those who want to just come here and reap the benefits and fruits of many years of hard working Americans labor....CANNOT.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Trevor Dodge
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Reply:
From the Office of Senator Cantwell
Dear Mr. Dodge,
Thank you for contacting me regarding immigration reform. I appreciate
hearing from you on this important matter.
I believe that Congress should continue working to deliver comprehensive
immigration reform. Major religious denominations, law enforcement
leaders, the labor movement, business owners, civil rights leaders,
economists and a majority of Americans agree that our current
immigration system is broken. Immigration reform is vital to getting
our economy moving again and is crucial to farms and businesses across
Washington State and the country.
Comprehensive immigration reform should prioritize our nation's security
by bringing undocumented immigrants out of the shadows and requiring
them to register with the government, undergo background checks, study
English and pay taxes. Any policy changes must improve border
enforcement and address the labor shortages in the fields of agriculture
and technology. Employers must abide by fair labor standards and
respect the rule of law in the workplace, and all workers should be
paying their fair share of taxes.
I also believe that protecting our nation's borders and ports should be
one of our highest priorities. The 111th Congress increased U.S. Border
patrol funding by $400 million over a two-year period, and in the last
decade, the budget of the Border Patrol has more than tripled. Most
recently, Congress supported these activities with the passage of an
emergency supplemental border security appropriations package in August
2010. This packages increased resources for border personnel and
surveillance equipment.
On September June 22, 2011 Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) introduced the
Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2011 (S. 1258). This
legislation increases resources for border patrol personnel, border
technology improvements, and expands the State Criminal Alien Assistance
Program to cover additional criminal justice costs sustained by local
governments. The legislation also mandates the use of an employment
verification system for all employers within five years and creates a
new fraud-resistant Social Security card.
With respect to immigration, this legislation addresses the processing
delays for green card applications and allows graduates of the science,
math, and engineering fields to apply for permanent residency
immediately. It also incorporates existing legislation such as the
DREAM Act (S. 592), the Uniting American Families Act (S. 821), and the
AgJOBS proposal for seasonal agriculture workers. Lastly, it would
provide a path to legalization for non-criminal undocumented immigrants
living in the United States since June 1, 2011. S. 1258 is currently
pending in the Senate Committee on the Judiciary.
On June 14, 2011, Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX) introduced the Legal
Workforce Act (H.R. 2164), which would require all U.S. employers to
participate in E-Verify. This legislation was referred to three U.S.
House Committees (Judiciary, Education and Workforce, and Ways and
Means), where it is currently awaiting further review.
E-Verify is an internet-based pilot program operated by the United
States Customs and Immigration Service and the Social Security
Administration. This program allows employers to determine whether
their employees possess proper authorization for lawful employment. As
of January 22, 2011, over 244,000 employers nationwide were registered
as participants of this voluntary program.
Under current law, it is illegal for an employer to knowingly hire an
undocumented employee. By improving employment verification and
enforcement techniques and opportunities, E-Verify was established to
provide a simpler and more streamlined way to ensure a legally
documented workforce. The 2010 Department of Homeland Security
Appropriations Act extended voluntary E-Verify through September 30,
2012.
Thank you again for contacting me to share your thoughts on this matter.
Please be assured that I will keep your thoughts in mind if I have the
opportunity to consider E-Verify or immigration reform legislation in
the U.S. Senate. You may be interested in signing up for my periodic
update for Washington State residents. If you are interested in
subscribing to this update, please visit my website at
http://cantwell.senate.gov
hesitate to contact me in the future if I can be of further assistance.
Sincerely,
Maria Cantwell
United States Senator
For future correspondence with my office, please visit my website at
http://cantwell.senate.gov/contact/index.html
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