Congress Continues to Fumble Its Immigration Reform Opportunities

Washington, D.C.– In light of the House of Representatives’ failure to advance any immigration legislation following weeks of negotiations and efforts, Theresa Cardinal Brown, director of immigration and cross-border policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, issued the following statement:

“This outcome shows that Congress continues to fumble in its attempt to reform our immigration laws. The fact that House Republicans did not seek input from their Democratic colleagues is also disappointing, as we know that the most enduring and effective policies come from broad bipartisan support. The end result was predictable.

“The House’s failure to find a consensus path forward comes at a critical point in our nation’s debate over immigration. Issues like the separation of families at the border, providing legal status to DACA recipients, and the need to address illegal immigration in a fair and effective way require bipartisan leadership. The only meaningful and lasting solutions to these problems will be bipartisan.

“The American people need and deserve an immigration system that represents American values: one that strongly enforces the law while treating immigrants, families, and children with dignity and respect; one that honors our history as a nation of immigrants with a legal immigration system that is fair, consistent, and transparent, and encourages immigration by those who are hard-working, law-abiding, and have a desire to contribute their talent and abilities to their new country; and one that provides a way for those who may have previously violated the immigration law to fix their status and become part of the legal immigration system.

“Given these stakes, both parties in Congress and President Trump need to work together, negotiating in good faith and agreeing to hard compromises to pass immigration legislation that can begin to fix this system that has been broken and out of control for too long.”