Statement by Reps. Espaillat, García, and Correa on House Republicans Anti-Immigration Proposal

WASHINGTON, DC – Representatives Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), and Lou Correa (CA-46) issued the following statement on House Republicans’ anti-immigration proposal being considered during today’s Judiciary Committee markup:

“This legislation is not only morally bankrupt, but also economically misguided. It would additionally make it easier for migrant workers to be exploited as it takes away their ability to obtain work authorizations while retroactively detaining families, including adults with current work authorization. Moreover, it includes anti-union E-Verify provisions that give a free pass to employers and push the burden of verification onto unions and workers.

“Not only would this proposal reinstate disastrous Trump-era policies like family detention, banning asylum, and threatening DACA, but it would also weaken our workforce, restrain our nation’s economic recovery, and overall hinder our efforts to undo the damage from the previous administration. Republican colleagues are actively ignoring the economic needs of our country by making it more difficult for migrants to participate in our economy.

“This legislation should be universally rejected, and we condemn it in the strongest possible terms. We urge Republicans to begin legislating in good faith and consider immigration reform that is rooted in compassion and American economic prosperity—not in punitive measures that have consistently failed.”

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Representative Espaillat is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and his congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and the north-west Bronx. First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat is serving his fourth term in Congress. Representative Espaillat currently serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for funding the federal government’s vital activities and serves as Ranking Member of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee of the committee during the 118th Congress. He is also a member of the House Budget Committee and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), where he serves in a leadership role as the Deputy Chair as well as Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI). Rep. Espaillat is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) and serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at https://espaillat.house.gov/.

Media inquiries: Candace Person at Candace.Person@mail.house.gov