WASHINGTON – Today, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Carper (D-Del.) released the following statement to mark one year since the U.S. Senate voted to pass the bipartisan Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act (S.744). The measure passed the Senate 68 to 32.
“One year ago, over two-thirds of my Senate colleagues voted to pass S. 744, a bipartisan bill that would modernize the immigration system, strengthen our borders and ports of entry, enhance national security in a manner that is practical, humane and fair – and grow our economy by almost one trillion dollars,” said Chairman Carper. “Unfortunately, today, a year later, the House of Representatives has still failed to follow the Senate’s lead and address this critical issue. Our immigration system has been broken for far too long. Our dated immigration rules do not meet the current needs of the country or the realities of the estimated 11 million undocumented people living in the shadows. Passing comprehensive legislation is the best tool we have when it comes to addressing the challenges that remain and those that lie ahead. While I do not agree with every detail in the Senate bill passed last year, I believe that today’s status quo is unacceptable. In fact, we are seeing the results of the House’s failure to act every day as more unaccompanied children from Central America arrive at our borders. The time for comprehensive immigration reform is long overdue. Fixing a broken system is far too important to allow partisanship to get in the way. I urge my colleagues in the House to put politics aside and seize this important opportunity before it is too late.”
As Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Chairman Carper plays a key role in border security oversight and has worked extensively with his colleagues on to improve security efforts at our borders and ports of entry in a cost-effective manner. Over the past 18 months, Chairman Carper has also traveled to the Northern and Southern U.S. borders and several Central and South American countries to study the challenges and complexities spawning unlawful migration. Last week, Chairman Carper held a roundtable discussion on what the U.S. can do to best address the root causes driving the current surge in unauthorized migration from Central America.
To read more about Chairman Carper’s work on the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act (S.744), please visit: www.carper.senate.gov/immigration.
###