Nothing is more important to me than keeping all families safe and secure. My district is home to a large immigrant population. These students, families, and workers contribute to our communities, our culture, our economy, and our institutions of higher education. In Congress, I am committed to passing comprehensive immigration reform to keep families together, provide a fair pathway to citizenship, and meet our nation’s economic needs.

I am committed to defending the Dreamers, undocumented young people brought to this country as children. They attend American schools, work for American companies, and run businesses and raise families in American communities. In short, they are American in every respect except on paper.

I am a proud original cosponsor of the American Dream and Promise Act, a bill that offers protection from deportation and a fair path to citizenship for eligible Dreamers. These talented young people deserve a secure future here in America – the country they love and call home.  

Crucially, the Dream and Promise Act also creates a path for eligible individuals with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) to obtain full LPR status and the opportunity to apply for citizenship five years later.  

Another top priority for me in Congress is passing legislation to enable the so-called Documented Dreamers to remain in the United States. North Carolina is home to thousands of children and young adults who came to the United States at an early age as dependents of work visa holders. Unfortunately, once they turn 21, their dependent visas expire and they can be forced to self-deport to a country they often don’t even remember. 

I introduced the America’s CHILDREN Act to protect Documented Dreamers from aging out of temporary protections and becoming vulnerable to deportation by providing a pathway to citizenship. We have so much work to do to fix our broken immigration system and ensure that our country has a fair path to citizenship. Passing this bill will be a step in the right direction to protect more than 200,000 young adults and ensure all families are treated with dignity and respect.

I am also working to support the guest farmworkers who keep our nation’s agriculture industry strong. Last year, I voted to pass the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, which establishes a program for agricultural workers to earn legal status through continued employment in the agricultural sector. This bipartisan bill will help stabilize our farm workforce and promote fair wages and working conditions for the guest workers who contribute so much to our nation.

Original source can be found here.