U.S. Congressman Mike Kelly- of Butler- is offering some thoughts on the ongoing immigration debate in this country.
On Tuesday, the House passed the ‘American Dream and Promise Act,’ which combined two Democrat-sponsored immigration measures. Kelly voted against the measure asserting it did not address what he called the “ongoing and growing crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border” and offered amnesty to millions illegally present in the United States.
“America’s immigration system is a mess, and the ongoing crisis on our southern border is evidence of that fact,” Kelly said in a statement. “Unfortunately, House Democrats are more focused on providing amnesty to illegal immigrants and political messaging than serious immigration reform that makes it easier to come to America legally and secures our border. We have been sitting at the table waiting for them to come to us with legitimate proposals. Instead, we were presented with legislation that prioritizes illegal aliens over Americans and legal immigrants.”
Rep. Kelly said he does support legal immigrants, including the one million plus people the United States admits each year. He has called for legislation that provides the necessary resources to secure our southern border, ends chain migration, ends the visa lottery program, and makes it easier to enter legally and obtain U.S. citizenship. Many of the public probably agree with this outlook. Immigrants should have to be granted legal access to the country. Some people also believe that immigrants who can help the country grow with their skills should be granted access also. The H1-B visa, granted to those who have been offered jobs by American employers, is one example of ways that immigrants can be legally accepted into the country. Not only will they help the country grow, they can also provide skills that will benefit the company who are employing them.