In the new year, take a new look at immigration – starting with DACA

With the election of Joe Biden as our next president and a new administration taking over in January, I know from experience as a former member of North Carolina’s General Assembly for many years that there will be many competing legislative interests at the start of a new term.

The key question that comes with new leadership is whether we can come together to solve an entrenched challenge whose straightforward solution has surprisingly broad support among both Republicans and Democrats: immigration.

We should finally tackle this important challenge and pass bipartisan immigration reform. North Carolina is home to more than 300,000 undocumented immigrants. We must do what’s in our power to fix a system that doesn’t benefit anyone.

Now is the time to act, and I urge Republicans in Congress to work with their Democratic colleagues to transform our broken immigration system by passing immigration reform legislation that creates a functioning system that works for everyone.

One area where we can find immediate common ground is the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) legislation, which would allow eligible immigrants brought to the U.S. as children (also known as Dreamers) to live here without fear of deportation.

Dreamers call America home because it is; they’ve grown up here and help make up the fabric of our nation. Passing protections for immigrants in good standing with our government will only help them continue to contribute to their communities and our country.

Legislative attempts to codify protections for Dreamers have failed so far, which has caused the last two presidents to issue contradictory policies protecting them. This has created uncertainty and legal ambiguity for Dreamers.

We shouldn’t force people who have lived virtually all of their lives in this country — paying taxes, serving in our armed forces, and working in critical jobs — to live in fear of being deported at any moment to what to them is a foreign country. Passing bipartisan immigration reform will provide a permanent solution that brings certainty and stability to our nation, its economy, and our workforce.Immigrants help our state remain competitive in an increasingly global marketplace by starting businesses, creating jobs, paying taxes, purchasing homes, spurring innovation, and filling worker shortages in key industries.

Immigrants serve in the U.S. military, educate our children, and are working on the front lines amid the pandemic to care for their fellow Americans and keep our country working. Immigrants are performing essential roles during the pandemic, which will help in the economic recovery of our state and country.

Such reforms are popular with the American people, and the Republican party should support them. Not only does 74% of the public support granting legal status for immigrants brought to the U.S. as children, but 54% of Republicans do as well. If we Republicans don’t support common-sense immigration reform, we’re out of line with both our nation and our party.

With the beginning of a new presidential administration and a new Congress, Republicans have the opportunity to help usher in a new era with an immigration system that works for everyone.