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CEDAR RAPIDS Former Gov. Martin OMalley will lay out what he calls bold reforms to fix outdated immigration laws that arent meeting our economic needs, our national security imperatives or our values.

His plan, which he will highlight on his fifth trip to Iowa since announcing his presidential campaign in May, will address immigration reform through executive action to provide immediate relief to the millions of New Americans while forging a new consensus for comprehensive immigration reform that includes a pathway to citizenship.

OMalley takes the issues personally, his Iowa campaign spokeswoman Kristin Sosanie said Tuesday because when his great grandfather came to the United States from Ireland he had no money and his first language was not English.

But the hopes and dreams he had for his children were purely American, OMalley wrote in an opinion piece published in The Gazette today.

We are a nation of immigrants, according to OMalley, but today, the very essence of our country, the diversity that makes us great and rejuvenates us with each new arrival, is being eroded.

Now, to continue to attract the next generation of strivers, dreamers and risk-takers, and to be true to the values we hold dear, we must pursue a dynamic, modern approach to immigration policy as a nation, he wrote.

OMalley will talk about immigration, including its importance to the Iowa economy in agricultural production in stops Friday in Cedar Rapids and Washington, Iowa, Friday ahead of his speech that evening at the Iowa Democratic Partys annual Hall of Fame Celebration in Cedar Rapids.

It seems appropriate OMalley would address immigration in Iowa, Sosanie said, not only because of its importance in the AG sector, but because Iowa has been the scene of some of the largest immigration raids in the country.

Youve seen families torn apart and thrown in a detention center in Waterloo, OMalley said. Its not only heartbreaking, its disruptive to the workforce as well.

Although there is little difference between the Democratic candidates on the issue and Democratic voters are overwhelmingly in favor of allowing illegal immigrants to stay in this country and seek citizenship, Sosanie said OMalley has a track record as well as 15 years of elected executive experience as mayor of Baltimore and governor.

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O'Malley to highlight immigration reform in Iowa visit ...