Rep. Calvert Statement on the American Dream and Promise Act

Today, Congressman Ken Calvert (CA-42) issued the following statement regarding H.R. 6, the American Dream and Promise Act:

"I have and continue to believe undocumented children who were brought to America and raised here should be allowed to remain here and become U.S. citizens. Dreamers did not knowingly violate our immigration laws, they make positive contributions in our communities, and many have only ever called the United States home. Yet, instead of focusing on these individuals and crafting a bipartisan bill that provides Dreamers with legal status with a path to citizenship, House Democrats have once again produced a flawed bill that will not become law. Instead of focusing on the undocumented children who have been here for years, the Democrats' bill gives green cards to young adults who illegally entered our country as recently as late last year. The bill also lacks responsible eligibility requirements and would provide green cards to criminals, including gang members. By granting amnesty to such a wide range of undocumented immigrants the bill would provide incentives for more illegal immigration, and worsen our crisis at the border.

Sadly, this is yet another chapter in a long history of Democrats' politicization of our immigration problem. If you look past their words and focus on their actions, you will find Democrats in Congress are not interested in actual solutions for immigrants and our broken system. Once again, House Democrats are advancing bills that will not pass in the Senate and will not provide any real relief for Dreamers. It is clear that Democrats are more committed to using Dreamers as a political weapon than they are to actually helping them.

It is my hope that the Senate will incorporate the necessary changes to clean up the bill, drop the controversial provisions such as amnesty for felons, and truly give Dreamers a pathway to become Americans."