The full Assembly on Thursday approved a measure urging Congress to pass legislation creating a pathway to citizenship for millions of immigrants currently residing in the United States. The measure was sponsored by Assembly Democrats Annette Quijano, Joseph Cryan, Marlene Caride, Angelica Jimenez and Vincent Prieto.
The resolution was approved 57-12-6.
“Few things unite us more as a nation than the belief that America is the land of opportunity,” said Quijano (D-Union). “But for more recent immigrants, that axiom is slipping out of reach as we’ve failed to update our immigration laws to help them legally become productive, contributing members of our society. Nothing builds stronger families and a stronger economy than a workable path to citizenship that addresses the current face of our nation.”
The sponsors noted that United States immigration laws have not been updated in 20 years and there are few avenues available for legal immigration. Congress has discussed immigration reform, yet little progress has been made. Much of the concern surrounds the 11 million undocumented immigrants currently residing in the United States.
“America has a long and rich heritage of immigration but our current immigration system is broken,” said Cryan (D-Union). “Immigrants are faced with an insufficient numbers of visas for workers to support the U.S. labor force, arbitrary visa caps creating backlogs and separating families, exploitation by employers through wage and workplace violations, and inadequate government infrastructure to support the immigrant population. All of this needs to be addressed.”
“Comprehensive immigration reform must provide law-abiding, tax paying immigrant workers and their families with an opportunity to obtain legal permanent residency and eventually U.S. citizenship through fair and reasonable requirements,” said Caride (D-Bergen/Passaic). “It must also be mindful of the rights afforded by our Constitution while providing workers with the ability to petition for permanent residency.”
Several immigration reform plans have been introduced over the years, but Congress needs to introduce comprehensive immigration reform to address all ages of the illegal immigrant population.
“The federal government must take action to reform our immigration laws, particularly by incorporating President Obama’s Executive Order into law which grants work permits and permission to stay in this country for anyone brought here before they were 16 years of age,” said Jimenez (D-Bergen/Hudson). “By establishing a path to citizenship for all immigrants who have not committed criminal offenses, we can help protect and strengthen families everywhere.”
Our nation’s immigration system must effectively and fairly regulate how immigrants are allowed to enter, work, and live in the United States. Comprehensive immigration reform policies must accomplish and balance several goals that are in the best interest of the nation, restoring public confidence in a system of laws that promote national security and public safety.
“The federal government has the exclusive authority to develop and enforce immigration policy under our constitution,” said Prieto (D-Bergen/Hudson). “It’s well past time for Congress to take this issue up seriously. In doing so, they must focus on comprehensive reform that creates a realistic pathway to citizenship for law abiding immigrants while also strengthening our national security and the public safety of our communities and neighborhoods.”
Duly authenticated copies of the resolution, signed by Speaker Oliver, will now be transmitted to the President and Vice President of the United States, the Majority and Minority Leader of the United States Senate, and the Speaker and Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, and to each member of Congress elected from the State of New Jersey. TLS.
I’m all for granting citizenship to LAW-ABIDING immigrants (such as those who came here legally).
BUt if this is for illegal immigrants:
1. The lame excuse for tolerating this scourge, “Who else will pick lettuce?” will disappear.
2. We will be encouraging and reinforcing this illegal activity.
3. Congress doesn’t care about the NJ Assembly’s resolutions. It cares about votes in the next election.
Change the headline to ” millions of Americans closer to loosing the’re jobs as immigration reform passes assembly” . Who comes first?
i love this, we need more spanish people in lakewood, long ago there used to be alot more here.
Wait till half of them file and get approved for:
1. welfare
2. unemployment
3. disability
4. food stamps
5. low income housing assistance
6. section8 / public housing
7. Publicly funded health care
8. medicare
9. drug counseling
(thus leading us to total economic collapse)
– we will have 51% or more of the population NOT working. Thus bringing us to exactly what destroyed Russia: the smaller percentage of people were supporting the larger percentage. soon there after the percentage of working class people became smaller and smaller, as they were so heavily taxed – they saw no incentive to work at all; and just joined the ranks of the unemployed.
When were there more Spanish speaking people here? For some reason, you’re confusing Native Americans with the Spaniards. The NA that lived here did not speak Spanish.
I got a good chuckle, thanks.
It’s not one step or any steps closer. It’s a confusing and misleading headline.
your not understanding
THEY WILL PAY TAXES TOO
NOT LIKE NOW WHERE THEY DONT
so with thier tax money the usa will have more money for programs …
Regardless of one’s status, purchases for goods and services at legitimate businesses should include sales taxes, however, social service programs and education are funded by income and property taxes. These taxes are paid by individuals and companies who file state and federal tax returns, not by workers paid in cash under the table. Furthermore, while granting amnesty to illegal aliens would, no doubt, generate some additional tax revenues, those revenues would be pale in comparison to the financial burden of 12-20 million more people now fully qualified for taxpayer-funded welfare programs from Washington and Trenton. Question: Can Americans go anywhere in the world, illegally cross the border of a sovereign nation, stay as long as we might wish, get paid under the table, get free education and health care and then demand citizenship and the right to vote? And, demand that the people of that nation adopt English, rather than require us as (illegal) immigrants to learn the native language? Or, don’t Americans have to show their passports just to visit the Canadian side of Niagra Falls or cross over and return from Mexico? Or to vacation in the Carribean or Europe? Would Mexico, Canada or any other nation grant us citizenship and benefits if we entered their nation illegally? Truth is America allows more legal immigration than any other nation on the planet. Just sayin’.