Ellison Statement On His Vote Against The STEM Jobs Act (HR 6429)

Statement

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) released the following statement after voting against the STEM Jobs Act (HR 6429), which provides visas for graduates in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM):

"While I support increasing visas for STEM graduates, this bill would make it harder for graduates from regions that typically have less immigration to the United States, such as Somalia, to come to our country. Increasing American competitiveness in STEM fields should not be zero sum game. We can attract talented workers without eliminating visas for others aspiring to come to the United States.

"More worrisome, the STEM Jobs Act demonstrates that Republicans are not serious about comprehensive immigration reform. This bill fails to include a path to legalization for new Americans, fails to reform the backlog of visa applications of people aspiring to come to America, and has no meaningful way for families to be reunited with their loved ones who already live in the country. Our nation's immigration system is broken, and the elections in November showed us that Americans want Congress to fix it."

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