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Hearing on the Impact of Immigration Reform on Women and Families

Senator Charles Grassley
Senator Charles Grassley
Prepared Statement of Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa
Ranking Member, Senate Committee on the Judiciary
Hearing on “How Comprehensive Immigration Reform Should
Address the Needs of Women and Families”
Monday, March 18, 2013

Thank you, Senator Hirono, for chairing this hearing about immigration reform. I’m honored to be in the presence of so many upstanding and honorable women, all who have a passion for changing our immigration system and improving it for generations of families to come.

This Congress has an opportunity to enact real reform, to ensure that our welcome mat remains on display while upholding our long-standing dedication to the rule of law. Today, people in foreign lands want to be a part of our nation. We are a very welcoming country, and people will go to great lengths to be part of it. We should feel privileged that people love our country and want to become Americans.

Immigration reform is not an easy undertaking. I know this from 32 years of experience on this committee. That’s why Congress, in 1990, authorized a bipartisan commission to review and evaluate the immigration system. In 1997, with the help of one our witnesses, the U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform presented their findings and recommendations. They are just as important today as they were over 15 years ago.

The Commission stated: “A properly regulated system of legal immigration is in the national interest of the United States. Such a system enhances the benefits of immigration while protecting against potential harms.”

The Commission also noted, “Immigrants contribute in many ways to the United States: to its vibrant and diverse communities, to its lively and participatory democracy; to its vital intellectual and cultural life; to its renowned job-creating entrepreneurship and marketplaces; and to its family values and hard-work ethic.” Yet, they knew then what we know now: that there are costs as well as benefits from today’s immigration. The Commission found many flaws with our immigration policies, and we have a long way to go to make it perfect. It is in our country’s best interest – for future generations and future families — to begin a serious discussion on how we can enact real reform that will sustain for years to come.

I want to thank our witnesses for coming today. I look forward to hearing from Susan Martin, former staff director for the U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform. Ms. Martin will provide insight on how we should enhance our family immigration system, including the fact that Congress must set priorities and determine which type of immigration will serve the national interest.

I also look forward to hearing from Dr. Panetta, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Tufts University. Dr. Panetta will bring a different perspective to the hearing, discussing how American engineers, particularly women, are being skipped over for high skilled and high paying jobs in the United States. She’ll discuss how the H-1B visa is harming American engineers and how women may fall behind even more if we do not fix the program. Her testimony sheds light on the reason why we need legislation in this area. I plan to introduce a bill today to ensure that American workers are given the first opportunity at jobs in science, technology, engineering and math fields. In fact, my bill would close loopholes in the program, reduce fraud and abuse, provide protections for American workers and for visa holders, and require more transparency in the recruitment of foreign workers.

We have several other distinguished witnesses, and I thank them for being with us today and sharing their views on this important topic.

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