Reforming our Immigration System

A delegation of representatives led by the congressional Hispanic caucus Monday visited immigrant detention facilities in El Paso and Clint, Texas.

Arizona Democratic Rep. Greg Stanton, who was part of the delegation, called for increased congressional oversight following his visit. He said the U.S. doesn't have a detention system that meets American values.

WASHINGTON – The House voted mostly on party lines Tuesday to approve a bill that would protect millions of "Dreamers" from deportation and give them a pathway to citizenship, a bill Republicans said would only lead to more illegal immigration.

Just seven Republicans crossed the aisle to vote for the bill, which passed Tuesday evening on 237-187 vote. The vote from Arizona's delegation was even more cleanly partisan, with all five Democrats supporting the bill and all four Republicans opposing.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a bill that aims to give up to 2.5 million undocumented immigrants a pathway to U.S. citizenship.

The legislation – a top priority for the Democratic majority – would offer protections for undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children and others who are currently without permanent legal status.

H.R. 6, called the "American Dream and Promise Act," passed on largely partisan lines by a vote of 237-187. Seven Republicans broke ranks to side with Democrats to support the bill.

PHOENIX – One Arizona congressman said the American Dream and Promise Act was "right" and "smart." Another called it "disastrous."

As could be expected, local reaction to Tuesday's vote on the HR 6 immigration bill was split along party lines.

Democratic Rep. Greg Stanton spoke on the floor in favor of the legislation before the House approved it by a 237-187 margin.

Phoenix and Mesa rank among the top cities in America that would benefit from passage of the American Dream and Promise Act of 2019, according to a new report from the public policy research organization, the Center for American Progress (CAP) in Washington D.C.

The oft-revised and resurrected Dream Act – first introduced in Congress nearly two decades ago but never passed – offers a path to citizenship for 50,000 Dreamers and recipients of two other temporary status programs in Maricopa County, according to the CAP report.