Washington — The U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee held a hearing today to inform the development of legislation providing a pathway to citizenship for unauthorized immigrants who entered the United States as children. The bipartisan First Focus Campaign for Children submitted testimony for the hearing. The organization released the following statement by Campaign for Children President Bruce Lesley:
“Children have a lot at stake in the immigration debate, so it’s encouraging that the House is putting children on the agenda. But children need much more from reform than an approach that provides a pathway to citizenship only for undocumented immigrants who entered as children. Kids – immigrant and citizen alike – need safeguards that protect their families from being shattered by immigration enforcement actions against their parents. Kids need the same standing as adults in hardship-based admissibility proceedings. And they need reforms that give children the best chance to reunite with parents who have been detained or deported. Getting immigration reform done means getting it right for kids, so the legislation informed by today’s hearing needs to be the beginning, not the end, of the reform effort for kids.”
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