Press Releases

Today Congressman Jodey Arrington (TX-19) released the following statement on the Securing America’s Future Act (H.R. 4760), immigration legislation the House voted on yesterday. “The most important issue to address with regards to our broken immigration system is the safety and security of the American people. To do that, we must not only secure our border with physical and technological barriers, but also ensure we close loopholes in our immigration policies and enforce the rule of law. Only when we resolve these concerns, will we be in a position to solve the DACA issue. “From its inception under President Obama, DACA was an unconstitutional action – one that unilaterally bypassed both existing federal immigration law and Congress,” said Arrington. “Furthermore, it rewarded people who illegally crossed our border and made them de facto residents of this country. In an effort to fix the problem created by President Obama, we crafted the Securing America’s Future Act (SAFA), legislation that would ensure first and foremost security along our southern border, while giving certainty to DACA recipients who work, pay taxes, and abide by our laws. “Unfortunately, we were unable to get the votes to pass SAFA. Even though the bill wasn’t perfect, it would have given the President the tools and resources he needs to secure the border and stop illegal immigration. Additionally, SAFA would have provided a significant win for West Texas by authorizing a new agricultural guest worker program that our farmers desperately need, while cutting off the employment magnet for illegal immigrants by mandating use of E-Verify. I will continue to work with my colleagues to get this right and move legislation that will finally protect our sovereign border, restore the rule of law and put the American people first.”