Kamala Harris: Anti-Immigration US Senator

Thank you for contacting me with your views on our immigration system.

In my career as a prosecutor in California, I saw the full spectrum of criminal offenses. I know what a crime looks like. And despite the Trump administration’s rhetoric vilifying immigrants as criminals, I can tell you that being an immigrant is not a crime.

The Trump administration has pursued immigration policies based on fear rather than facts and threatened core American values in the process. It has cruelly separated thousands of children from their parents who are seeking asylum at the border, fostering long-term trauma for these children, and then attempted to use the resulting crisis to seek the indefinite detention of immigrant families. It has broken a promise to thousands of young Dreamers and callously held them hostage to its pursuit of an untenable, extreme, and costly immigration legislative agenda. It has indiscriminately  expanded immigration enforcement within American communities, failing to distinguish Dreamers and other hardworking individuals with no criminal backgrounds from actual public safety threats.  This has torn families apart, harmed our economy, and created a culture of fear that has reduced the willingness of community members to report crimes and serve as witnesses, endangering public safety for everyone.

As a member of the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees, I have and will continue to work tirelessly to hold the Trump administration accountable for these and other immigration policies and practices that harm our communities and threaten our nation’s global humanitarian leadership. I have pressed administration officials to preserve the unity of families and to protect the rights of vulnerable populations. My first bill in the U.S. Senate was the  Access to Counsel Act,  which would ensure that anyone detained at our borders has access to voluntary legal counsel. I have also introduced the  DONE Act, which would promote cost-effective alternatives to immigration detention and ensure robust oversight of immigration detention facilities, which have been plagued by poor conditions. I introduced the  REUNITE Act , which would prohibit the inhumane practice of separating families at the border and prevent the indefinite detention of immigrant families.

I believe that Congress needs to pass comprehensive immigration reform that genuinely enhances public safety, grows our economy, and provides a pathway to citizenship for immigrants who are currently contributing to and enriching our state and nation. This is why I am a proud cosponsor of the DREAM Act , which would provide a path to citizenship for young people brought to this country as children who contribute $11 billion to California’s economy every year. This is also why I am a proud cosponsor of the  Agricultural Worker Program Act , which would help stabilize our nation’s agricultural workforce by providing a path to citizenship for workers harvesting California’s crops.

Our immigration system is broken and outdated. I will continue to push Congress to reform the system. We need immigration policies that meet the needs of our economy, families, workers, and security.

Thank you again for sharing your views. If you have additional questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact my Washington, D.C. office at (202) 224-3553.