Immigration reform must promote economic opportunity. We must renew our commitment to helping all low-income Americans improve their job prospects and move up the economic ladder towards the American Dream. Opponents of reform try to pit the needs of native-born workers against immigrants, but our vision of reform is that a rising tide lifts all boats. Immigrants and citizens working shoulder to shoulder, with the same labor protections, access to programs and services, due process, and faith in a system that works for them and their families, is our vision for a stronger America.

Immigration reform must be comprehensive. Comprehensive immigration reform would recommit our country to being both a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws. Unless we reform the broken immigration system as a whole, we will fail to solve the problems at hand.

The necessary components of reform include: (1) improving the economic situation of all workers in the United States; (2) legalizing the status of undocumented immigrants working and living in the United States; (3) reforming visa programs to keep families together, protecting workers’ rights, and ensuring that future immigration is regulated and controlled rather than illegal and chaotic; (4) implementing smart, effective enforcement measures targeted at the worst violators of immigration and labor laws; (5) prioritizing immigrant integration into our communities and country; and (6) respecting the due process rights of all in the United States.

Long-term reform requires long term solutions. We acknowledge that the factors shaping immigration are not just domestic, and that the issue transcends our borders. As such, how we as a country approach our relationships with other nations matters. We must deal with the domestic aspect of this issue, and work in partnership with other countries over time to develop long-term strategies that improve the economic conditions in regions that supply large numbers of economic migrants. Responsible and accountable approaches in this regard, coupled with improving skills and opportunities for our domestic workforce, will improve the economic outlook for all our communities.