WASHINGTON – Tonight, Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), ranking member of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, released the following statement reacting to President Obama’s comments about the need to fix our nation’s immigration system.
“In June 2013, the Senate overwhelmingly approved bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform legislation that would modernize our broken immigration system, strengthen our borders and ports of entry, and enhance our national security in a manner that is practical, tough, and fair. While it wasn’t perfect, the Senate’s bill, which I supported, would have been a significant improvement over the status quo. It also would do what the voters told Congress to do in the most recent election by growing our economy while reducing our budget deficit by nearly a trillion dollars over the next 20 years. Unfortunately, we missed out on an important opportunity when my colleagues in the House of Representatives left this critical issue unresolved for the entire 113th Congress. As the President reminded us tonight, Congress has the responsibility to complete this task.
“However, we need to address this critical issue without compromising the passage of a clean, full-year appropriation for the Department of Homeland Security. I understand some of my Senate colleagues share House Republicans’ concerns with the President’s immigration policies. However, the Department of Homeland Security’s budget is not the place to air these concerns. Instead of piecemeal amendments and political maneuvers, our nation needs a sensible, comprehensive, and permanent solution that addresses the underlying root causes of unauthorized immigration, and modernizes our immigration laws in a way that enhances our national and economic security as soon as possible. Our nation cannot afford to miss another opportunity.”