Issue Position: Reforming our Immigration System

Issue Position

As the son of legal immigrants to the U.S., Raja recognizes that our country is a nation of immigrants as well as a nation of laws. There is no question that our current system is broken and must be repaired. He will work in Congress for comprehensive immigration reform that protects our homeland, secures our borders, and offers a path to citizenship for undocumented workers who have staked roots in this country, lived peacefully without incident, and have agreed to pay penalties and fines, pay their taxes, learn English, and go to the back of the line.

Raja also supports the DREAM Act, written by Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), to provide a path to citizenship for the children of undocumented immigrants who have known no other home and meaningfully staked their roots in America. We should welcome these young people, enabling them to pursue a higher education and contribute to our nation's future. Indeed, many of these DREAMERS have already contributed meaningfully to our country by serving in our nation's Armed Forces. We must incorporate them into the fabric of America.

Raja believes that foreign students who have earned a graduate degree in the U.S. and entrepreneurs who have secured enough investment to start a business here should be granted a temporary visa to pursue their dreams in our country. In a global economy where knowledge is key, we ought to welcome those with the ideas and knowledge to create new businesses and jobs here in the U.S.

Finally, Raja rejects the un-American idea that whole classes of people should be barred from entering this country because of their ethnicity or religion. He will support efforts to strengthen protections against terrorists from abroad while making sure that we maintain the values and principles that guide our nation and make it a beacon of freedom and hope around the world.

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