Democratic Primaries
Related: About this forumElizabeth Warren: A Fair and Welcoming Immigration System
Immigrants have always been a vital source of American strength. They grow our economy and make our communities richer and more diverse. They are our neighbors, our colleagues, and our friends and every bit as much a part of America as those who were born in the United States.
President Trump sees things differently. Hes advanced a policy of cruelty and division that demonizes immigrants. Hes axed programs that protect young Dreamers and asylum seekers fleeing violence and upheaval. Hes championed dramatic cuts to legal immigration, and imposed a bigoted ban on travelers from Muslim-majority countries. Hes threatened to close our ports of entry to lawful transit and commerce, and exploited a crisis of his own making at the border to score cheap political points. But while Trump may have taken the system to its most punitive extreme, his racist policies build on a broken immigration system and an enforcement infrastructure already primed for abuse.
I saw that in McAllen, Texas, in the eyes of mothers who fled violence only to be ripped apart from their babies at the U.S. border. I saw it in the tears of families as they waited for their loved ones at Logan Airport in Boston on the night Trump announced his Muslim Ban. I saw it in the tired faces of little children made to march in formation between makeshift tents in the hot summer sun at the Homestead detention facility in Florida.
I also see it when I talk with our Dreamers about their aspirations and their fears. When I meet with business owners who watch their competition exploit undocumented workers for a competitive advantage, and with farmers who cannot access the labor they need. When I sit with families who have been waiting decades for a visa to reunite with their loved ones, and with mixed-status families who worry that a parent, brother or sister could be ripped away at any time.
We must address the humanitarian mess at the border and reverse this presidents discriminatory policies. But that wont be nearly enough to fix our immigration system. We need expanded legal immigration that will grow our economy, reunite families, and meet our labor market demands. We need real reform that provides cost-effective security at our borders, addresses the root causes of migration, and provides a path to status and citizenship so that our neighbors dont have to live in fear. Thats why today Im announcing my plan for immigration reform to create a rules-based system that is fair, humane, and that reflects our values.
https://medium.com/@teamwarren/a-fair-and-welcoming-immigration-system-8fff69cd674e
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
lunamagica
(9,967 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Undecided