Immigration

Floor Speech

Ms. DUCKWORTH. Madam Speaker, last month, in Addison, Illinois, I held an immigration roundtable with 38 organizations that spanned the political spectrum. Attending were the chambers of commerce, the ACLU, local colleges, and municipalities. They all told me that now is the time to act on comprehensive immigration reform.

My neighbors know that, done right, immigration reform can make our communities stronger and that it can provide opportunities for our businesses by expanding our workforce. Reform will make us safer by securing our borders. We can help balance our budget by letting millions of immigrants who are willing to make the necessary sacrifices become tax-paying American citizens. We must work together to provide a pathway to citizenship as part of any comprehensive immigration reform legislation.

The Senate has passed such a bipartisan proposal, and Members of the House should reach across the aisle and do the same. We cannot allow partisanship and extremism to stop us from making commonsense reforms that are vital to the future of this great Nation. Now is the time for Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform legislation that is practical, fair, and humane.

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