WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Adam Smith (D-Wash.) today issued the following statement regarding H.R. 2, the House Republican bill on immigration.
“I want to find meaningful solutions to our broken immigration system, but the House Republicans’ bill is not the answer. H.R. 2 would destroy our asylum system, restart construction on an expensive and ineffective border wall, and drastically expand the detention of children and families.
“We all want a secure border. To do that, we need to improve technology at our border and invest in ports of entry. However, H.R. 2 creates more bottlenecks and hinders Customs and Border Protection’s ability to process asylum claims at ports of entry. We also need to crack down on illegal actions of cartels and the smuggling of drugs into the United States. H.R. 2 does nothing to stem the dangerous and deadly flow of fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine into our communities, the overwhelming majority of which comes to the U.S. through ports of entry.
“House Democrats want real solutions, which is why we passed a budget that would increase funding for personnel and technology, reduce the processing backlogs, and fund alternatives to detention that are proven to work. We urgently need comprehensive reform to fix our immigration system and tackle the humanitarian crisis at the southern border. This includes addressing the root causes of migration and passing legislation to expand legal immigration pathways, reform our asylum laws and immigration detention system, and finally give DACA recipients and other undocumented immigrants a pathway to citizenship.
“Fixing our broken immigration system is long overdue, and House Republicans have continuously blocked solutions by refusing to work in a bipartisan manner towards common-sense legislation. I believe we can find bipartisan solutions to our immigration crisis, but H.R. 2 is not the answer.”
Original source can be found here.
