Smucker Statement on Border Security and Immigration Reform Act

Statement

U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker (PA-16) issued the following statement after he voted against the Border Security and Immigration Reform Acton the House floor:

"Our badly-broken immigration system must be fixed, but the legislation before the House today was not the solution. The bill does not hold sanctuary cities accountable for protecting dangerous criminals, nor does it crack down on individuals overstaying their visa. These are two critical priorities that must be addressed, and that's why I have voted for legislation to end sanctuary cities and introduced legislation that would make overstaying a visa a criminal offense.

"This legislation also missed an opportunity to make needed reforms to our agricultural immigrant labor programs, make E-Verify law of the land, and address the vast worker shortage found in Pennsylvania and across the country. I'm going to continue working on these priorities so employers and farmers in our district have the workforce they need to get their products to market and support our local economy.

"The legislation offered by Chairman Bob Goodlatte that failed in the House last week -- Securing America's Future Act-- was a great opportunity reform our immigration system. That's why I voted for it. In addition to achieving the priorities above, it would have also secured our border, permanently protected DREAMers, and ended the policy of separating families at the border. Simply put, the House has now missed two opportunities to fix our broken immigration system and make our country more safe, secure, and prosperous. The American people deserve better than the failed status quo."

Source