Immigration
Supporting Comprehensive Immigration Reform
Since the earliest days of America’s founding, immigrants who’ve come to this country from all over the world have been integral to our society and our nation’s success.
Senator Reed believes we must have both strong, durable border security and smart, fair, workable immigration policies that welcome into the United States those who embrace America’s ideals and values. Yet our current immigration system hampers economic growth, weakens our ability to deter illegal traffic into the United States, and fails to meet that standard of fairness. As such, Senator Reed supports comprehensive immigration reform that fixes our broken federal immigration system and protects our national security. And he has steadfastly stood up to the Trump Administration’s chaotic, reckless mass-deportation campaign.
Senator Reed has voted to move forward with comprehensive immigration reform, including the bipartisan Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act. This bill, which passed the Senate a decade ago, would have reduced our budget deficit and institute broad measures to secure our borders, deterred employers from hiring those who come here illegally, and offered a tough but fair pathway to earned citizenship. Reed also supported the bipartisan Border Bill of 2024, which would have reformed the immigration screening and asylum processes.
Senator Reed has also backed reforms to address the overreaches of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), including:
- Requiring ICE agents to wear and use body cameras, just like local police
- Removing masks and limiting the concealment of agents’ identities
- Ending warrantless, roving ICE patrols
- Protecting schools, hospitals, and places of worship from ICE raids
- Preventing racial profiling
- Prohibiting the wrongful detainment or deportation of American citizens
Fixing our immigration system also means supporting policies that foster innovation and growth, including a process to retain highly-educated individuals once they graduate from American colleges and universities, rather than taking their skills overseas.
KEY PRIORITIES & ACCOMPLISHMENTS
- Senator Reed helped pass bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform in the Senate and he continues to support a practical and enforceable overhaul of our immigration laws. Reed believes in humanely enforcing laws while reforming ICE and restoring accountability for federal agencies.
- Reed is a staunch supporter of the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, which would give bright, law-abiding, hardworking immigrant students who serve in the military or attend college an opportunity to earn legal status.
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Reed was also the author of the Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act, a law signed by President Trump that grants permanent residency to Liberians, many of whom have lived legally in the United States since 1991. These hardworking people left their nation decades ago to escape danger and economic strife. They are making important economic and civic contributions to our communities and should have the option of applying for permanent residency here in their adopted home.