Big News on Comprehensive Immigration Reform
Dear Friend,
As a staunch advocate for comprehensive immigration reform, there are some important developments taking place in Washington that I want to share with you.
This week, the Senate passed comprehensive immigration legislation. I support the Senate's bipartisan bill, which provides a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants currently living and working in our country, secures our borders and allows high-skilled workers educated in the U.S. to stay here, innovate here, and contribute to our economy.
Comprehensive immigration reform makes economic sense and it's the right thing to do. Legalizing our undocumented immigrant population will put all workers on a level playing field, exerting upward pressure on the wages of both American and immigrant workers. It also brings more workers into our tax system, which will increase government revenues, grow our economy and benefit a range of industries.
And we know it will create jobs, as 40 percent of Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or the children of immigrants. Comprehensive immigration reform will enhance our global competitiveness by ensuring we continue to meet our workforce needs and promote innovation.
The Senate's vote is an important first step, and now the House of Representatives must be allowed to vote on immigration legislation so comprehensive immigration reform may become a reality. I recently sent a letter to Speaker of the House John Boehner urging action on immigration reform so our system will finally reflect the needs of a 21st century economy and workforce. Fixing our broken immigration system will strengthen the American economy and our communities.
As always, it is an honor to serve you. Please do not hesitate to contact our office if there is anything we can do for you. Our district staff is here to assist with any federal issue you might have, including Social Security, Medicare, veterans' benefits and more. To continue to stay in touch, please connect with me on Twitter @RepSwalwell and Facebook.
Sincerely,
Eric Swalwell
Member of Congress