Immigration
Congresswoman Judy Chu speaking at an Immigration Reform rally in Washington, D.C.
"Every day, I hear from families torn apart by our broken immigration system. Passing comprehensive reform is critically important to the long-term security and prosperity of our nation. We must solve this immigration nightmare, so every person in our country can live the American Dream."
- Rep. Judy Chu
Our current immigration system is outdated and in need of reform. We have more than 12 million immigrants currently living in the United States without legal status, millions of more close family members waiting abroad to join their loved ones through the family-based immigration system, and the ongoing detention and deportation of our community members. Businesses and farmers aren’t getting access to the workers they need to stay competitive, which hurts our economy.
Now is the time to protect the very ideals that our nation is founded upon - the very reason for our nation’s success. Immigration reform will improve the lives of immigrants and citizens alike, just as America has always done throughout her history.
I fought hard when I was elected to Congress to get on the Judiciary Committee, which has oversight over all immigration issues. Now as a member of that Committee, I am working to ensure proper oversight of immigration related agencies, fighting policies that hurt families and businesses, and advocating for legislation to reform our broken system.
Here’s what I am doing to fight for a better and more humane immigration system:
Comprehensive Immigration Reform: Ending Illegal Immigration
DREAM Act (H.R. 1842)
Protect Our Workers from Exploitation and Retaliation (POWER) Act (H.R. 2169)
Immigration Integration and Citizenship Amendment
Reuniting Families Act (H.R. 1796)
Comprehensive Immigration Reform: Ending Illegal Immigration
During the 111th Congress, I was an original cosponsor of the CIR ASAP Act (H.R. 4321) to completely and permanently reform our immigration system so it works. The Act includes the following measures to meet that goal:
• Pathway to Earned Citizenship: A true solution for the undocumented – The bill includes a pathway to citizenship for undocumented residents if they complete background checks, pay taxes and learn English.
• Addresses Future Flow of Immigrants – It ensures visa numbers align with labor market demands and will create stop-gap visas for the current undocumented and those fleeing economic strife. It will reform H1B visas so that available jobs go to Americans first, while simultaneously increasing the visa caps for employment-based immigration and exempt certain high skilled employees from the cap.
• Protects Workers – It increases worker protections and increases penalties for companies who violate the labor laws.
• Family Reunification: Bringing Families Back Together Quickly – Reduces the backlog for family-based visas over six years and classifies children and spouses of Legal Permanent Residents as immediate family members.
• DREAM Act: Doing the Right Thing for Immigrant Youth – The bill includes the DREAM Act, which removes federal penalties for states that provide college financial aid regardless of immigration status. It also provides temporary legal status and a path to citizenship for undocumented students who have grown up in the U.S. and attend college or join the military.
• Enforcement: Protecting the New Immigration System in a Just Manner – The bill adds new resources to combat drugs, guns and human smuggling at ports of entry. It requires a complete reevaluation of the enforcement system to ensure the system is working smoothly and promotes international cooperation to solve the border issues. The bill also allows for fair due process for immigrants and humane treatment of immigration detainees. It mandates electronic employment verification and implements stiffer penalties on employers who abuse the system.
DREAM Act (H.R. 1842)
I am a cosponsor of the DREAM Act, which will enable young undocumented students who grew up in this country the ability to achieve legal status and eventually permanent residency through a college education. This bill removes federal penalties for states that provide college financial aid regardless of immigration status, and would also provide temporary legal status and a path to citizenship for undocumented students who have grown up in the U.S. and attend college or join the military.
In the winter of 2010, the House took up the DREAM Act on the House Floor. I fought tirelessly as a member of the Immigration Whip Committee to garner support. And it worked - I cast my vote in favor of the legislation when the House passed the DREAM Act as a standalone bill for the first time in history. Although the legislation was unable to pass the Senate, I remain committed to seeing the DREAM Act signed into law.
Protect Our Workers from Exploitation and Retaliation (POWER) Act (H.R. 2169)
I introduced the POWER Act (H.R. 2169) to thwart the use of immigration law to dampen workers’ efforts to protect their labor rights and combat exploitation. Guest workers from across the country report that employers use their immigration status and the threat of the authorities to retaliate against workers who step forward to claim their workplace rights. However, the law is clear - all workers, regardless of their immigration status, are protected by federal and state labor and employment laws. We must hold employers who break the law accountable for their actions.
To bring lawbreakers to justice for crimes against immigrants, current law provides individuals who are victims of crimes of opportunity to receive a temporary U Visa. The U visa is designed for noncitizen crime victims who have suffered substantial abuse from criminal activity to assist government officials in the investigation or prosecution of the crime. But the law does not adequately cover victims of labor violations.
This bill changes that. It allows worker protection agencies to ask the Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) to provide temporary lawful status with employment authorization to workers who have filed a workplace claim against an unscrupulous employer.
Immigration Integration and Citizenship Amendment
The Fiscal Year 2012 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill originally prohibited direct funding for immigrant integration grants. Immigrant integration grants help prepare legal permanent residents for citizenship by helping residents navigate through the naturalization process, teach them about our nation’s history and government and learn English.
I introduced an amendment on the House Floor to strike the language that targeted immigrant integration grants and reiterate that immigrant assimilation is a good national priority.
The amendment passed the House and helped secure direct funding in the amount of $19,749,000 for Immigrant Integration and Citizenship for FY2012, an increase of $1.75 million over the previous year. This funding will support immigrant integration efforts, including funding for new programs supporting English language acquisition and citizenship education.
Reuniting Families Act (H.R. 1796)
I believe that families shouldn’t be kept apart needlessly, which is why I am a cosponsor of the Reuniting Families Act (H.R. 1796). Under the current system, families are being kept apart for years, sometimes decades, because the number of family-based immigration visas far exceeds the annual limit.
Keeping Families Together is Good for America. This bill would reduce the backlog of cases for individuals who are in this country legally and who are trying to reunite with their loved ones overseas. It also would treat stepchildren the same as biological children under immigration law, and would allow families to reunite under broader definitions of hardship, including family separation or the death of a petitioner.
Contact Me
E-newsletter Sign Up
Help with a Federal Agency
On the Issues
Voting Record