Issue Position: Immigration Policies that Work

Issue Position

A century ago, my grandparents came to this country to seek a better life for
themselves and their family. The United States of America offers promise to people from around the world who want to come here and work hard and add to our society. The current immigration policies in the United States simply don't work. They don't work for businesses and farmers who need labor that we can not find. They don't work for workers who are taken advantage of and cast out of society, and they don't work for families who desire to be reunited. I believe that we need a multi-faceted approach to reforming our immigration policies to ensure a sound and ethical system that works for the United States.

* Attracting the Brightest Minds: Our innovation economy requires the most
talented workers to ensure the economic future of this country. I believe that we should enhance the H1-B Visa program to attract the brightest minds in Science, Engineering and Mathematics to the United States in order to make sure that the innovations that shape our world continue to happen in the United States.

* Ensuring Labor for NY Farmers: Agriculture is the economic backbone of
Upstate New York and man farmers experience a short term increase in demand for labor around the harvest. I believe that we must widen the legal avenue for our farmers to be able to attract seasonal workers.

* Create a Visa Program that Works: People come to this country illegally
because there is a real demand for their labor. I believe that we need to create a visa program that matches the demand for labor with the supply of highly motivated workers who want to work hard to support their families. By doing this, we will remove the motivation for people to risk their lives entering this country illegally.

* Securing Our Borders: The Border Patrol is undermanned, under-trained and under-funded. I believe that we need to increase the resources available to those who protect our borders.

* Reuniting Families: I believe that our immigration policies should not separate families, and that we should work hard to ensure that families are reunited.

Source