Immigration

The United States always has been, and always will be, a nation of immigrants. That fact is central to who we are -- as each generation leaves our country better off for the next, we do so not just for our children, but for newcomers, too. Despite that rich tradition, Congress has not updated our immigration policies in three decades. In that time, visa backlogs grew to appalling lengths, creating an incentive to cross our borders illegally. Failure to address the issue not only risks underminin... Read more

Despite the government shutdown, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene is working to get the House of Representatives to move forward with reforming U.S. immigration laws. DelBene is co-sponsoring a new reform bill that would secure the borders and provide a path to citizenship for immigrants already in the country. She says immigration is a big issue here in Whatcom County. The senate passed a bi-partisan immigration bill in June, but the debate was killed by Republican leaders in the House. If the GOP m... Read more

In an effort to move forward on comprehensive immigration reform in the House of Representatives, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene today co-sponsored new reform legislation. DelBene is leading the effort with Representative Joe Garcia (FL-26), Representative Judy Chu (CA-27), Representative Jared Polis (CO-02) and Representative Steven Horsford (NV-04). “Immigration reform is critical to the people and economy of the 1st Congressional District and Washington state. In order to grow our economy and c... Read more

U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene rolled out a new immigration bill Wednesday, attempting to restart a move toward comprehensive reform that has stalled in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. The bill, called the Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act, largely mirrors a measure passed by the Senate earlier this year. It would, among other things, allow citizenship for people living in the United States illegally 13 years after they apply and would admit mor... Read more

Freshman U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-WA, 1) is one of five house Democrats trying to revive immigration reform. In June, with 14 Republicans on board, the senate passed an immigration reform bill 68-32 that would have put billions of dollars toward beefing up border security along with earned-path-to-citizenship guidelines. However, a bipartisan companion house effort fell apart when Republicans abandoned the plan last month. Today's house bill was proposed by a new group of reps, all Democrats, ... Read more

Comprehensive (not just piecemeal) immigration reform will define the new American century.On June 27, the U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan immigration overhaul, 68-32. Now, the U.S. House must act.The reform components in the Senate bill dovetail with the public interest. This includes an incremental path to citizenship that takes up to 13 years. Farm workers and Dream Act students will have a manageable waiting period. And those with registered-provisional immigrant status can emerge from the s... Read more

Congresswoman Suzan DelBene represents what has been described as one of the most evenly divided districts in the country. The redrawn First Congressional District of Washington state also contains several geographical and economic elements—from agricultural and high-tech businesses to a lengthy stretch of Canadian border—that have a major stake in the outcome of the immigration reform effort under way in Congress.DelBene, a Democrat who spent some $2.8 million of her own money on last year’s ca... Read more

Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene called on House leadership to take action on comprehensive immigration reform to create jobs and grow the economy. A new White House report found that fixing our broken immigration system would spur job growth, raise wages, reduce deficits and strengthen Social Security.“Today’s report is the latest evidence that comprehensive immigration reform is good for our nation’s economy, working families and businesses. The health and future growth of many industries i... Read more

Congresswoman Suzan DelBene released the following statement today after the Senate’s working group unveiled its bipartisan proposal for comprehensive immigration reform:“I am encouraged by the bipartisan Senate proposal released today to reform our nation’s broken immigration system.“This proposal is very much a starting point and there is still much work to do to refine and improve it. It does include many of the principles I believe are necessary for effective, comprehensive reform to our im... Read more