Dear Romans: Thank you for taking the time to write to me about immigration reform. I rely on the input of engaged New Jerseyans like you when making decisions, and appreciate you sharing your thoughts. Our nations broken immigration system demands that Congress act quickly to pass comprehensive reform. Our current laws have failed. There are 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the shadows, which, aside from its implications for countless families, harms our economy and threatens our security. I am pleased that prior to my swearing-in, on June 27th 2013, a bipartisan coalition of U.S. Senators passed S. 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013. If passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and signed into law, this measure would greatly improve national immigration policy. The Senate-passed bill will help secure our borders by increasing the number of agents on patrol while expanding and modernizing our surveillance methods. Undocumented immigrants will be able to seek a registered provisional immigrant status and begin the process to become citizens. Children of undocumented immigrants will be eligible to quickly become citizens, and more temporary agricultural workers will be allowed to work legally and with better protections. The bill requires the use of an employer verification program that ensures jobs go to immigrants who comply with the law. Additionally, the H-1B visa cap on highly skilled workers will increase from 65,000 to between 115,000 and 180,000, allowing more of the worlds brightest minds to work in the United States. This will grow our economy and create jobs. The legislation will also address the daily tragedy under current law of countless families being torn apart and suffering devastating heartbreak. As of November 2013, there were 4.2 million qualified family-based immigrants who were left waiting for their visa and the opportunity to join their family in the United States. The bill adjusts eligibility, which removes the cap on many family-based visas, allowing quicker access to green cards. In addition, immigrants who have been approved under other family-preference categories will be granted access to live in the United States legally while the family await their visas. These critical reforms will dramatically reduce unjust wait times and reunite families. Since passing the Senate in last year, the legislation has remained idle in the House of Representatives. This winter, as part of our efforts to support the urgent push for reform, Senator Robert Menendez and I visited Fast for Families, a group of labor, immigrant, and faith leaders who spent a month in Washington, D.C. fasting every day to bring attention to the Houses refusal to confront our immigration challenges. We joined them in a 24-hour fast of solidarity to raise awareness and to underscore the urgent need for comprehensive reform. Their actions are part of a larger movement that is forcing this country to take a closer look at the issue. As more and more Americans begin to take a closer look, they have come to consider the insecurity of vulnerable immigrant communities. Across our country, criminals target undocumented immigrants knowing that many will be too afraid to come forward and report the crime. This is not only a public safety threat to the undocumented immigrant community, it is a threat to us all. Unscrupulous employers abuse undocumented employees, violating their human rights and paying them below minimum wage, which then reduces wages for native-born workers. We must pass immigration reform to alleviate the fear and economic uncertainty that is affecting so many New Jersey families. Comprehensive immigration reform is not just the right thing to do - it is an economic imperative for all Americans. The Congressional Budget Office determined that the Senate bill would reduce the deficit $897 billion over the next 20 years, and increase GDP by 3.3 percent in 2023 and 5.4 percent in 2033. Furthermore, our outdated laws currently make it harder for the best minds to come to the U.S. and start businesses that will create new American jobs. The 2014 H-1B visa cap on high skilled immigrants was reached in just five days. These are workers who help drive our economy and create jobs for others. Approximately 25 percent of engineering and technology companies founded in the U.S. between 2006 and 2012 had at least one founder who was foreign born. If we are concerned about the level of unemployment, if we are concerned about economic growth, if we are concerned about the countless families and workers neglected by our current system, then the House must pass comprehensive immigration reform. Again, thank you for writing to me. I am honored to represent you in the United States Senate, and I value what I hear from New Jerseyans about the issues our state and nation face. Please continue to keep in touch with your thoughts and concerns. For more information about my work in New Jersey and Washington, please visit my website at booker.senate.gov. Sincerely, Signature Cory A. Booker United States Senator Office of Senator Cory Booker 8:06 PM (6 hours ago) to me August 18, 2014 Dear Romans: Thank you for taking the time to write to me about Net Neutrality issues. I rely on the input of engaged New Jerseyans like you when making decisions, and I appreciate you sharing your thoughts. The Internet is a powerful engine of economic growth, opportunity, and innovation, and it has become essential to our everyday lives. I support strong Net Neutrality rules that would preserve the openness of the Internet and ensure that we continue to enjoy access to online content that is free from discrimination and blocking. To that end, I oppose an approach to Net Neutrality rules that would allow Internet Service Providers to create Internet fast lanes, prioritizing service for certain content. On May 15, 2014, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to approve a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on new Net Neutrality rules. The vote also marked the beginning of a public comment period in which the Commission will seek input on how to best develop rules that ensure the Internet remains open and free from content discrimination. I am pleased that the Commission is keeping all options on the table, and I support their comprehensive approach to this rulemaking. This is a critically important period for the future of Internet policy, and I am encouraged by the publics engagement with the Commission. Again, thank you for writing to me. I am honored to represent you in the United States Senate, and I value what I hear from New Jerseyans about the issues our state and nation face. Please continue to keep in touch with your thoughts and concerns. For more information on my work in Washington and New Jersey, please visit my website at booker.senate.gov.
Posted on: Mon, 18 Aug 2014 22:48:01 +0000
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