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In the 1990s, Chinese-born Eric Yuan had to apply nine times before his US visa was approved here in America, hed go on to become founder and CEO of Zoom. The immigration process has only gotten more restrictive since. While skilled immigrants have been working tirelessly to build the technology that makes it safe for millions of us to work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, to find a vaccine, or to provide essential services, the Trump administration has been busily dismantling legal immigration. In more than 400 executive actions, the Trump administration has remade Americas immigration system based on a worldview of immigration as a security and economic threat to Americans, according to the Migration Policy Institute. During the presidents tenure, legal immigration will have fallen by almost half, the National Foundation for American Policy projects.

Yet public support for immigration has never been higher: For the first time in its 55-year history, Gallups immigration poll found that this year, more Americans supported increased immigration over decreased immigration. Nearly 8 in 10 Americans surveyed said that immigration is a good thing for the country. And now the incoming Biden administration has an opportunity if Congress provides support to fix a broken system.

Trumps policies have proven detrimental to American jobs and the economy. Although one of the most demeaning things about being an immigrant is that your personhood is reduced to your economic worth, there is no denying that immigration is an economic net positive, despite rhetoric to the contrary. Foreign-born workers contribute an estimated $2 trillion to the US economy every year about 10 percent of the countrys gross domestic product. Immigrants are twice as likely as US-born Americans to start their own businesses. Immigrants have started more than half of Americas startup companies valued at $1 billion or more, according to the National Foundation for American Policy, and are key members of management or product development teams in more than 80% of those companies.

These firms, Zoom included, often create thousands of jobs, pay taxes, and rejuvenate local economies. In Massachusetts, where 1 in 5 workers is foreign-born, according to the Massachusetts Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy Coalition, more than half of the Fortune 500 companies based in the state were founded by immigrants or their children think Biogen or The TJX Companies. And in 2019, more than half of the medical and life scientists in the state were foreign-born, as were 40 percent of health aides and 14 percent of nurses. Now, immigrant doctors and scientists are disproportionately represented on the front line fighting the coronavirus pandemic.

The best way to restore order, dignity, and fairness to our immigration system as pledged by the president-elect on the campaign trail is by changing our system to one that sees immigrants as people and not a problem to be managed.

Reform can start by amending the public charge rule originating in the 1880s that discriminates against low-income immigrants, who are essential members of the US workforce. The law doesnt clearly define the term public charge, but its taken to mean people who are an economic burden on the government. Under Trump, the public charge rule was expanded to deny permanent residency to immigrants based on their legal use of government benefits such as food stamps, housing assistance, or Medicaid. In July, a federal judge blocked Trumps new guidelines after doctors, local officials, and advocates said immigrants fears about jeopardizing their immigration status by seeking medical treatment was hampering efforts to contain COVID-19.

In addition, policies around visas allowing US employers to temporarily employ foreign workers in specialty occupations must be reviewed. Denial of new applications for these H-1B visas more than doubled in the first three years of the Trump presidency and continues to climb, according to the National Foundation for American Policy. Facing harsh visa restrictions, American multinational companies offshored tens of thousands of jobs to Canada, China, and India and opened new affiliates there, writes Britta Glennon, an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvanias Wharton School.

Immigration paperwork must also be streamlined. According to one estimate, if an employer decided to sponsor my green card (which is proof of lawful permanent residency), it would take over 80 years to process due to the current backlog. An estimated 200,000 applicants from India, my native country, could die before they could reach the front of the line.

I worry that immigration reform may be put on the back burner by the new Biden administration. It does not appear as a priority on the transition teams website and the words immigration and immigrants surface rarely, mostly in reference to VP-elect Kamala Harriss immigrant heritage and work in California, in the bios of Cabinet nominees, and just once when discussing the administrations economic policies.

In a pandemic and accompanying economic downturn, rebuilding Americas immigration system cannot wait. Let it start with a vision and framework aligned with economic research that treat immigration not as a burden but as an opportunity for job creation and innovation. President-elect Biden has the chance to undo many of Trumps attacks on immigrants and to build immigration policies that are inclusive and beneficial to both immigrants and US-born Americans.

___________

Bansari Kamdar is a freelance journalist and researcher in Boston who specializes in South Asian political economy, gender, and security issues. Send comments to magazine@globe.com.

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Immigration reform must be a priority for the incoming Biden-Harris administration. Heres where to start - The Boston Globe

President-elect Joe Bidens pledge to create a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants within the first 100 days of his administration is a total rebuke of the hatred, division and racism that personified Donald Trumps presidency and a major victory for our nation and for all New Yorkers.

The promise of seeing Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris take the oath of office is a significant relief for immigration advocates like me, who have been fighting for reform for years. However, we wont let this victory lull us into complacency; we will use this opportunity to push for significant, meaningful immigration reform.

We must unravel the outgoing administrations damage to immigrant communities and transform the broken system to create fair and humane processes for everyone. When all families can fully contribute, we will build a stronger economy and democracy that reflects Americas values.

Now is the time for immediate action and to hold both federal and state lawmakers accountable to their promises of reform and a safer future for all New Yorkers, regardless of their immigration status.

This begins with ensuring Washington acts quickly on time-sensitive issues like providing permanent solutions for people seeking asylum, reuniting 666 children with their parents from whom they were ripped apart at the border, protecting Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and Temporary Protected Status program recipients, and reversing harmful visa and Muslim ban policies.

We must also turn this election momentum into advocacy that ensures immigrants are a priority in future COVID-19 relief efforts. Ultimately, this means comprehensive immigration reform passage to provide the 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. with a pathway to citizenship something both Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer and Biden have pledged to do. These are significant promises and we must work together to ensure they are fulfilled.

At the state level, New York Democrats have expanded their reach, winning the largest Senate majority in history. The voters have spoken, and Democrats in both legislative chambers must put their power to use by creating a safety net for undocumented individuals who were intentionally and wrongly excluded from the direct assistance of the CARES Act.

The state Legislatures freshman class brings newfound diversity to the Capitol and includes many pro-immigrant policy leaders. They must continue to pass state-based legislation to provide immigrants with opportunities and assistance in the absence of or lead up to action in Washington.

New Yorks immigrants make up 31 percent of our essential workforce. Many of these workers are undocumented and left out of state and federal assistance despite their contributions. Immigrants will also play a key role in the ongoing post-pandemic economic recovery efforts; no true recovery can exist without including them.

To do so, state lawmakers must immediately pass vital bills like the Empire State Licensing Act, which would provide all New Yorkers with access to professional licensing or necessary permits to enter the workforce, regardless of immigration status. Gov. Andrew Cuomo must sign the Protect Our Courts Act, which prohibits Immigration and Customs Enforcement from making civil arrests around New York courthouses. Also on the table is the Access to Representation Act, which would create a statutory right to representation for New Yorkers facing deportation who cannot afford a lawyer, among other bills that would benefit the immigrant community and all New Yorkers.

Immigrants are important members of our communities. Our nations ability to respond and recover from the coronavirus pandemic is not possible without them. I urge Cuomo, state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie to act swiftly for a state recovery and protections that include all New Yorkers.

In the absence of federal leadership, we must lead. We can be better by doing better; its that simple.

Eddie A. Taveras is the New York state immigration director of FWD.us. https://www.fwd.us.

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Commentary: With victory, continue pushing for immigration reform - Times Union

Ruben Navarrette Jr., Opinion columnist Published 4:00 a.m. ET Dec. 8, 2020 | Updated 4:55 p.m. ET Dec. 8, 2020

Biden has made a lot of lofty promises about immigration reform. We'll see if he actually delivers.

SAN DIEGOWhat will President-elect Joe Biden do with regard to the thorny issue of immigration?

As someone who has written about this topic for three decades and who followed closely the missteps, mistakes and misdeeds of the last administration in which Biden served heres my advice:Mr. President-elect, every time you formulate a policy or face a predicament on immigration, ask yourself, What would former President Barack Obama do? Then do the opposite.

Biden is off to an encouraging start with his first Latino Cabinet pick Homeland Security Secretary-nominee Alejandro Mayorkas.The Cuban American, a former U.S. Attorney who was director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in the Obama administration, seems to favor a kinder and gentler approach to immigration

Already, Mayorkas is trying to calm immigrant advocates who worry about the return of Obama-style mass deportations.

He tweeted: When I was very young, the United States provided my family and me a place of refuge. Now, I have been nominated to be the DHS Secretary and oversee the protection of all Americans and those who flee persecution in search of a better life for themselves and their loved ones.

In 2017, Mayorkas told PBSJudy Woodruff that he favored expanding theDeferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program which he developed and shepherded to include more people, based on their age when they came to the United States.

As for Obama, there is a reason the 44th president was heckled by undocumented young people. Theres a reason why immigrant advocates including then-Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., were arrested for protesting outside the White House during the Obama years. And theres a reason why immigration activists picketed outside the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina, during the 2012 Democratic National Convention.

Obama was vexed by immigration. He couldnt get it right. Heres an executive summary of what went wrong:

Obama broke his campaign promise to make immigration reform a top priority.

Vastly expanded the Secure Communities program, which enlisted local and state police to help in the apprehension of undocumented immigrants.

Deported 3 million people in eight yearsand put into foster care tens of thousands of U.S.-born children whose parents got deported.

Refused initially to halt deportations, insisting he wasnt "a king."

Claimed falsely that his administration only deported criminals.

Ordered, in 2014, thousands of Central American refugees to be removed without due process;jailed thousands of others, including infants and toddlers housed in what activists called baby jails; and released a third group into the custody of U.S. relatives only to round them up a little over ayearlater.

Whenever he faced pushback from the left, blamed the heavy-handed approach on Republicans in Congress whom he supposedly needed to please so he could get through a comprehensive immigration reform bill.

Protest at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement headquarters on July 17, 2020.(Photo: Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)

No such bill was ever produced. The only part of the Obama immigration agenda that turned out to be real was the pain that his administration inflicted on immigrant communities.

The one bright spot was DACA, a change in executive policy by the Department of Homeland Security. Undocumented young people brought here as childrencould apply for a two-year work permit and have their deportation deferred temporarily.

The catch: Recipients had to turn themselves into authorities, get photographed and fingerprinted, and hand over their home address.That was a good deal for the authorities, but as we learned when Donald Trump became president and ended DACA, leaving more than 600,000 recipients vulnerable to deportation not so good for "Dreamers."

What a debacle. Its no wonder thatas Obamasvice president, Biden tried to avoid the topic of immigration during his own presidentialcampaign.

In November 2019, Biden was confronted at a town hall in Greenwood, South Carolina. Carlos Rojas, a Latino immigrant advocate, grilled Biden about Obamas immigration record. Rojas was fishing for an assurance from the Democratic candidate for president that, if elected, he would not repeat Obamas mistakes. Biden defensively snapped at Rojas: "You should vote for Trump!

This February as primaries in states with heavy Latino populations loomed Biden finally acknowledged that the Obama administration had bungled its policy toward immigrants and refugees. They made a big mistake, Biden told Univisions Jorge Ramos before the caucuses in Nevada, where 30% of the population is Latino.

We can't win on immigration alone: Latinos helped elect Biden, but Democrats can do better

The president-electhas promised to issue in the first 100 daysmore than a dozen executive orders and policy changes rolling back Trumps immigration policies.He vowed to reinstate DACA, halt construction of the U.S.-Mexico border wall, stop separating families, end prolonged detentions,restore asylumand curb deportations.He even promised to send Congress a bill to give legal status to the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States.

Dont hold your breath. The same political considerations that tripped up Obama are likely to ensnare Biden.

Obama drove his immigration policy into a ditch by trying to be simultaneously tough and compassionate. He turned out to be much better at the former than he was at the latter.

Now Biden is likely to travel the same road. He cant afford to be seen as soft on border security. If Biden encounters a migrantcrisis like the one that flummoxed Obama in 2014, we can expect him to follow Obamas example and make all the same errors in judgment.

Obama was squeezed between Latinos who wanted legal status for the undocumented and a more lenient approach to deportations, and white working class union members and African Americans who feeling overrun by Latino immigrants and seeing the prospect of legalizing millions of them as economic suicide because it would only increase competition for jobs favored the opposite approach.

Biden will now find himself between the same rock and hard place. Expect him to bring back DACAand call it a day. He may yield to the demand of immigrant activists to strengthen the program and make it permanent, or he couldbe satisfied with just taking DACA back to what it was on the last day of the Obama administration.

Either way, there wont be much else happening on immigration, and Biden will blame his failure to produce anything more on a GOP-controlled Senate led by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Meanwhile, deportations will continue at roughly the same pace that theyre happening now, which is an improvement over Obamas deportation juggernaut. And a mass granting of legal status which the right-wing derides as amnesty" will never be mentioned again.

Policy over president: Why activists for police, immigration reform need to focus on policies, not presidents

Thats a far cry from what Biden promised a group of Hispanic supporters in September when he traveled to Kissimmee, Florida, for an event to mark Hispanic Heritage Month. He said that, if elected, he would commence to finally building an immigration system that treats people with dignity and is true to American values.

Thats not likely to happen. The politics of immigration wont allow it to happen. The players change,But the game stays the same.

Ruben Navarrette Jr., a member of the USA TODAYBoard of Contributors, is a syndicated columnist with the Washington Post Writers Groupand host of the podcastNavarrette Nation. Follow him on Twitter:@RubenNavarrette

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On immigration, Biden should look to the Obama administration and do the opposite - USA TODAY

But Biden's efforts could be thwarted if migration at the southern border surges next year, as some expect it to, following a spate of hurricanes in Central America, the economic downturn and Trumps departure. And the incoming presidents focus on immigration could end up losing out to other priorities the most pressing of which includes controlling the Covid-19 pandemic, digging the country out of a painful economic recession, restoring relationships with the countries Trump alienated and tackling climate change.

Reversing everything President Trump did to secure our borders, curb asylum abuse and protect American workers isnt only bad policymaking that will trigger a crisis, its a political plank walk, said RJ Hauman, government relations director at the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which favors immigration restrictions. We hope that commonsense and the weight of responsibility for a nation reeling from a pandemic will alter Bidens radical immigration plans once he enters the Oval Office.

The Biden transition did not respond to questions about their immigration agenda.

The incoming president also faces enormous pressure from progressive circles to follow through on his promises to quickly undo Trumps policies and be more welcoming to immigrants than former President Barack Obama, who was dubbed the deporter in chief.

As this pressure has mounted, Biden has placed staffers with immigration policy backgrounds throughout his administration.

For DHS secretary, Biden will nominate Alejandro Mayorkas, the first immigrant and Latino to lead the department. Over at the White House, Pili Tobar, who worked for the Latino Victory Project and the advocacy group Americas Voice, will become deputy communications director. And Julie Chavez Rodriguez, who previously helped run her grandfather Cesar Chavezs foundation, will lead the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.

Bidens team will have a few moves they can do right away.

After entering office, Biden is expected to instantly repeal the ban on travel from several Muslim-majority countries, halt further funding for the southern border wall and lift a moratorium on foreign workers implemented during the pandemic.

But other steps will take longer.

For instance, Biden wants to raise annual refugee admissions from 15,000 to 125,000 but must first build up the capacity to accept such a swift increase. His team will also take over the arduous campaign to find the families of more than 600 children separated from their parents at the southern border. Other regulatory changes will naturally take time, such as revising the criteria used to turn away or admit asylum seekers.

And even Bidens goal of fully reinstating an Obama-era program that offers work permits and legal protections to so-called Dreamers the hundreds of thousands of immigrants who came to the United States illegally as children is expected to face years of court challenges.

Its going to have to be a very thorough undertaking, said Manar Waheed, a senior legislative and advocacy counsel with the American Civil Liberties Union's immigration wing. There are many, many regulations that have to be rescinded, and it cant be undone overnight. And thats just to get back to where we were, not even to move forward.

Immigration advocacy groups, many of which worked to turn out voters for Biden this fall, are now leaning on the Biden administration to act aggressively.

Greisa Martinez, the executive director of United We Dream, is among those pushing for an indefinite moratorium on deportations and detentions of immigrants. Biden has currently only pledged a 100-day pause on deportations. Martinez also wants Biden to allow the return of people the Trump administration deported who still have family in the U.S.

In the first 100 days, we believe he needs to be bold, swift and act without hesitation, she said. Black and Latinx people showed up for real change in November and gave him a real mandate.

The latest news in employment, labor and immigration politics and policy.

Other advocacy groups, such as Movimiento Cosecha, are pushing for Biden to extend legal protections for undocumented immigrants beyond Dreamers and those displaced by war and natural disasters.

We want to see a program that protects anybody, that doesnt exclude anybody due to age or country of origin," said Carlos Rojas Rodriguez, an organizer who confronted Biden on the campaign trail about his immigration record. If youre a person of good moral character, you shouldnt live under the fear of being separated from your family.

Then theres the desire to offer a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million immigrants in the country illegally a policy change that would require Congress to act.

Biden has vowed to push Congress to craft an immigration deal, but that will be tough even if Democrats win a narrow majority in the Senate by capturing both Senate seats set for runoff elections in Georgia next month.

In recent years, Congress has repeatedly tried and failed to enact major overhauls to the immigration system. Presidents of both parties, including George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Trump, have all urged Congress to act to no avail.

Still, Democrats plan to offer a comprehensive immigration bill that Biden can support. Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.) is drafting legislation Democrats hope to introduce in January.

There are no magic wands for transforming immigration policy, but what you can change on Day 1 is the atmospherics around immigration, said Andrew Selee, president of the Migration Policy Institute. Changing policy is going to take time.

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Biden pledged to undo Trumps immigration policies. It will take time. - POLITICO

WASHINGTON U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, today spoke at the American Business Immigration Coalitions Summit, entitled Reigniting the Economic Engine: Immigration Solutions 2021, about the possibility of comprehensive immigration reform under a Democratic-controlled Senate. Durbin was a member of the Gang of 8 four Republicans and four Democrats that authored comprehensive immigration legislation that passed the Senate in 2013.

If Democrats take the majority in the Senate, we would have the opportunity to reestablish the moral authority, credibility, and relevance of the Judiciary Committee. We would partner with the Biden-Harris Administration, and reach across the aisle to Republicans who are willing to work with us in good faith to repair the damage of the last four years, Durbin said. With Democrats in the majority, we could again advance comprehensive immigration reform legislation. My Democratic colleagues and I are ready to roll up our sleeves and get to work if we are entrusted with the majority.

Durbins remarks as prepared for delivery are below:

I want to thank my friend Zaher Sahloul for that generous introduction. Dr. Sahloul has done extraordinary humanitarian work providing medical care in Syria and other war-torn regions. I want to congratulate Dr. Sahloul for recently receiving the 2020 Gandhi Peace Award, a well-deserved recognition of his work.

Thank you to the American Business Immigration Coalition for the invitation to join you today. And thank you for your important work to highlight the economic contributions of immigrants and to advocate for bipartisan immigration reform.

I want to especially acknowledge ABICs extraordinary and energetic Executive Director, Becca Shi.

One month from now, the voters of Georgia will determine whether the United States Senate remains in Republican control, or whether Democrats will take the majority. Make no mistake, the future of immigration reform is on the ballot in Georgia.

To understand what is at stake, look no further than the Senate Judiciary Committee, where I have proudly served for 22 years.

We are now in the final days of four years under the most anti-immigrant President in modern history.

And for the last four years, Republicans leading the Senate Judiciary Committee have turned a blind eye to the worst abuses of the Trump era.

Separating thousands of children from their parents at the border. Banning Muslim immigrants. Ending deportation protections for Dreamers who know no home other than America. Dropping refugee numbers to record lows in the midst of the worst refugee crisis in history.

The Judiciary Committee traditionally holds annual oversight hearings to examine the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. But for the last two years, Republicans have not held a single oversight hearing.

Im proud to serve as the top Democrat the Ranking Member on the Immigration Subcommittee. But with Republicans in charge, the Immigration Subcommittee has held a grand total of one hearing during the last two years.

I would have liked to ask this Administration some questions about immigration. For example, what are they doing to reunite more than 600 children with their parents who still cannot be found? But we didnt have that chance.

Now Id like to talk about an issue that is personal to me. It was 20 years ago that I introduced the Dream Act, bipartisan legislation to give a path to citizenship to Dreamers, young immigrants who grew up in this country.

The Dream Act passed the House in 2010, when Democrats had the majority, but it was filibustered in the Senate by Republicans.

When Democrats had the majority in the Senate, we passed bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform legislation including the Dream Act. But by then Republicans controlled the House and they refused to even debate our bill.

It was ten years ago that I joined with Republican Senator Dick Lugar on a bipartisan basis to call on the President to use his legal authority to protect Dreamers from deportation.

President Obama responded by creating the DACA program. DACA provides temporary protection from deportation to Dreamers if they register with the government, pay a fee, and pass criminal and national security background checks.

More than 800,000 Dreamers came forward and received DACA. DACA unleashed the full potential of Dreamers, who are contributing to our country as soldiers, teachers, and small business owners.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 200,000 DACA recipients are essential critical infrastructure workers. Thats not my term. Its the definition of President Trumps Department of Homeland Security.

Among these essential workers are 41,700 health care workers.

On September 5, 2017, President Trump repealed DACA. Hundreds of thousands of Dreamers faced losing their work permits and being deported to countries they barely remember.

Federal courts stepped in and ordered the Trump Administration to continue DACA for Dreamers who already had received this protection.

However, Dreamers who had not already received DACA have been blocked for applying for this protection for more than three years. The Center for American Progress estimates that approximately 300,000 Dreamers have been unable to apply for the program in that time.

On June 18, the Supreme Court rejected President Trumps repeal of DACA.

In an opinion by Chief Justice John Roberts, the Court held that the Presidents effort was, quote, arbitrary and capricious.

On June 19, the day after the Supreme Court ruling, I led a letter from 43 Democratic Senators to President Trump.

We called on the President to immediately comply with the Supreme Courts decision and reopen DACA to all eligible individuals.

Nearly six months later, we still have not received a response to our letter. And the Trump Administration still refuses to reopen DACA to 300,000 Dreamers who have not had a chance to apply for this protection.

Acting Department of Homeland Security head Chad Wolf issued a memo saying DHS will reject new DACA applications. But a federal judge has held that Mr. Wolf is illegally serving as Acting Secretary so his memo is invalid.

There is something the Senate could do about this today. On June 4, 2019, the House of Representatives passed the Dream and Promise Act on a strong bipartisan vote. This legislation, which is based on the Dream Act, would give a path to citizenship to Dreamers.

The Dream and Promise Act also would provide a path to citizenship to 400,000 immigrants who have been living in the United States under Temporary Protected Status, also known as TPS.

More than 90 percent are originally from El Salvador, Honduras, and Haiti. Most have lived in the United States for more than two decades.

As with DACA, TPS recipients must register with the government, pay a fee, and clear criminal and national-security background checks.

Like DACA recipients, TPS recipients are making important contributions to our nation during the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 130,000 TPS holders are essential critical infrastructure workers, including 11,600 health care workers.

Two years ago, I negotiated bipartisan legislation with a path to citizenship for DACA and TPS recipients, but President Trump profanely dismissed our bill in an infamous meeting in the Oval Office.

Instead, the President is trying to rescind TPS protections and deport hundreds of thousands of immigrants with deep roots in our country.

The Dream and Promise Act has now been pending in the Senate for a year and a half.

On June 22, I sent a letter, signed by all 47 Democratic Senators, calling on Senator Majority Leader McConnell to immediately schedule a vote on the Dream and Promise Act. Nearly six months later, Senator McConnell has not even bothered to reply to our letter.

If Democrats take the majority in the Senate, we would have the opportunity to reestablish the moral authority, credibility, and relevance of the Judiciary Committee.

We would partner with the Biden-Harris Administration, and reach across the aisle to Republicans who are willing to work with us in good faith to repair the damage of the last four years.

With Democrats in the majority, the Judiciary Committee and then the full Senate could take up and pass the Dream and Promise Act.

But there is much more to do to fix our broken immigration system and honor our heritage as a nation of immigrants. With Democrats in the majority, we could again advance comprehensive immigration reform legislation.

My Democratic colleagues and I are ready to roll up our sleeves and get to work if we are entrusted with the majority.

Thank you again for the opportunity to be with you today. I look forward to working with you to finally fix our broken immigration system.

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Durbin Speaks With American Business Immigration Coalition About Need For Reform - RiverBender.com