U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein responding to your message‏

Dear Mrs. Rios:

Thank you for writing to express your support for addressing comprehensive immigration reform in the 111th Congress. I sincerely appreciate hearing your suggestions and would like to provide my perspective.

I support comprehensive immigration reform that protects workers, addresses critical labor shortages, and provides fair and decent treatment of immigrants and their families. I believe that the United States needs a smart and workable approach to immigration, including stronger border security, effective enforcement, and reasonable standards for naturalization for undocumented individuals who have followed the rules, paid their taxes, and worked hard to embrace the American dream.

I have authored the "Agricultural Job Opportunities and Benefits Act" (AgJOBS), which would do just this. AgJOBS would reform the broken H-2A seasonal worker program, provide farmers with the stable, legal workforce they deserve, and offer a pathway to citizenship for hard-working, law-abiding immigrants already employed on American farms. I am committed to working with the Obama Administration to support U.S. farmers and the workers who provide the skilled labor needed to plant, tend and harvest our crops.

Additionally, last Congress, I authored the "Unaccompanied Alien Child Protection Act of 2007," which passed into law as part of the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (Public Law 110-457). I worked on this legislation for eight years to provide appropriate treatment of children who arrive in the U.S. without a parent or guardian and ensure that these vulnerable young immigrants have access to the legal and humanitarian protections they deserve.

Again, I very much appreciate that comprehensive immigration reform is an important issue for you. I encourage you to continue to keep me informed of your opinions and welcome you to contact my Washington, D.C. office at (202) 224-3841 if you have any questions or additional comments. Best regards.

Sincerely yours,

Dianne Feinstein
United States Senator