Washington – The bipartisan First Focus Campaign for Children commended today’s introduction of immigration reform legislation by Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives. The proposal largely mirrors bipartisan legislation (S. 744) passed earlier this year by the United States Senate, but replaces that bill’s controversial $46 billion “border surge” provisions with a bipartisan border security package (H.R. 1417) authored by House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) and approved by the committee in May. Like the Senate bill, the House Democratic legislation includes strong provisions to protect the interests of children, but still restricts access to health care and other safety net assistance. It also fails to include the bipartisan “Little DREAMers” proposal, which would eliminate citizenship obstacles for some of the youngest immigrants who entered the United States without documentation as children.
In response, First Focus Campaign for Children President Bruce Lesley released the following statement.
“Today, House Democrats took a stand for children and families who live every day with the consequences of our broken immigration system. This bill’s bipartisan policy protects kids and keeps families together, and its introduction provides important momentum for House action on immigration reform. While the Senate bill delivers real gains for kids, its controversial ‘border surge’ provision would spend $46 billion to turn children’s hometowns into military occupations. The House Democrats’ bill replaces that costly and controversial plan with a more responsible, bipartisan approach to border security. We hope today’s bill reignites the immigration reform debate in the House, and we look forward to working with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to get the job done and deliver immigration reform that works for children.”
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The First Focus Campaign for Children is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization affiliated with First Focus, a bipartisan children’s advocacy organization. The Campaign for Children advocates directly for legislative change in Congress to ensure children and families are the priority in federal policy and budget decisions. For more information, visit www.ffcampaignforchildren.org.