Kelly opposed immigration bill passed by House
U.S. Rep Mike Kelly, R-16th, said he voted against an immigration bill that the House approved Tuesday because it doesn’t address the immigration crisis at the Mexican border and offers amnesty to millions of people living illegally in the United States.
House Resolution 6, known as the American Dream and Promise Act of 2019, was approved in a 237-187 vote.
“America’s immigration system is a mess, and the ongoing crisis on our southern border is evidence of that fact,” Kelly said. “Unfortunately, House Democrats are more focused on providing amnesty to illegal immigrants and political messaging than serious immigration reform that makes it easier to come to America legally and secures our border. We have been sitting at the table waiting for them to come to us with legitimate proposals. Instead, we were presented with legislation that prioritizes illegal aliens over Americans and legal immigrants.”
He said the bill is being promoted as a permanent fix for persons eligible for the Obama-era program Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), but it would offer legal status and a path to citizenship to significantly more people than the original program.
The bill lacks appropriate safeguards against fraud in the application process and would allow a significant number of criminals to obtain green cards because of how it defines criminal activity, Kelly said. Democrats rejected multiple Republican amendments to fix loopholes that would allow illegal immigrant criminals legal status, including misdemeanor firearms convicts, he said.
Kelly said he supports legal immigrants, including the more than one million people the United States admits each year. He has called for legislation that provides the necessary resources to secure the southern border, ends chain migration, ends the visa lottery program, and makes it easier to enter legally and obtain U.S. citizenship.
