Congresswoman Barbara Lee Releases Statement on Immigration “Deal”
Washington, DC — Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-12), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, issued the below statement in response to the proposed GOP immigration deal.
“This latest failed attempt at legislating by the GOP clearly illustrates that the party of Trump has no interest in solving America’s challenges, only playing political games. Let’s be clear: we cannot support any border deal that doesn’t bring meaningful, comprehensive immigration reform and includes the perspectives of Black, Brown, and AAPI members of Congress. This GOP package was nothing more than a grab bag of Trump-era policies that do nothing to provide lasting security at the border. Instead of relieving pressure on border communities, history shows this enforcement-only approach will only make things worse, leading to inhumane conditions and emboldened cartels. Border security without comprehensive immigration reform will not work.
“We need to significantly improve our immigration system – that is clear. A humane, orderly, and modernized legal process for migrants to come to the United States is long overdue. We must increase legal pathways for work and family visas, protect farmworkers, dreamers, refugees and asylum seekers, and invest in resources to ensure orderly processing at the border and administrative support to curtail visa backlogs. This deal did nothing to address those issues. While MAGA extremists push their racist, xenophobic policies and use migrants as political pawns, Democrats remain willing and eager to come to the table to advance commonsense, comprehensive immigration reform.”