Washington, D.C. – As the Senate is set to begin debate on a number of immigration related proposals, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) released the following statement:
"It is long past time that Washington get serious about real immigration reform. That's not amnesty. And that's not deporting all eleven million undocumented immigrants. My Republican colleagues and President Trump seem to think that the best way to deal with immigration is to just deport everyone. That's unworkable, and they know it. So let's stop playing political games and get to work.
We need to pass immigration reform that fixes the problem. We need to secure the border by doubling the number of border patrol agents and mandate 24-hour surveillance of the border through advanced technology. We need to protect American workers and their jobs, and provide a pathway to citizenship for those who are law-abiding and learn English. I voted for these measures in 2013 as part of a bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform bill, which achieved 68 votes in the Senate.
We need to protect Dreamers and do so without delay. The Dreamers are young people who were brought to our nation as children. They are law-abiding, have learned English, pay taxes and can support themselves. And some have volunteered to serve in our military. The federal government made a promise to them that if they came forward, they would be protected. The Administration, through its reckless action, has endangered that promise. It’s time for Congress to keep that promise and pass protections for the Dreamers into law without delay. Anything less would be a betrayal.
Instead of pursuing unworkable solutions for political benefit, it’s time for this Administration and Republicans in Congress to work in good faith to protect the Dreamers and begin work on a comprehensive immigration reform bill.”
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