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Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) reiterated her support for comprehensive immigration reform that secures our border, provides a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, and solves the workforce challenges facing businesses across the country.

“Our immigration system is broken, and rather than work together on a bipartisan solution, extreme House Republicans have forced through a bill that does nothing to secure our border and would derail the economy while throwing families legally seeking asylum in jail,” said Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton. “I hope my colleagues across the aisle will come together and work towards reasonable solutions that provide smart, strong border security, expand pathways to citizenship, and support businesses across our country who are facing dire workforce needs. There is an urgent need to take action and no time or place for these extreme partisan games.”

Wexton voted against the House Republicans’ extreme and partisan border bill today, which passed with only Republican support and would not make the border more secure or control the flow of illegal drugs and be disastrous for the economy. This extreme legislation fails to provide any additional resources for Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officers at ports of entry, criminalizes non-profits and faith organizations who support asylum seekers at the border, and forces employers to use E-Verify systems which would cripple the agriculture industry. The bill also tears families living in communities in the U.S. apart by allowing for the permanent detention of asylum seekers who are fleeing violence, natural disasters, and persecution in their home countries while making it even harder for CBP officers to process the backlog of asylum claims.

Wexton has supported bills that increase resources for smarter, stronger border security and enhanced screening at ports of entry, as well as bipartisan legislation to allow a pathway to citizenship for millions of Dreamers and TPS holders, many of whom have known no other home than here in the U.S. Wexton has also voted to improve the high-tech and farm workforce visa systems, which are crucial to Virginia businesses and economy.

The extreme Republican border bill is opposed by numerous organizations including the AFL-CIO, Catholic Charities USA, the National Education Association, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, UnidosUS, and more.

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