Blumenthal Statement on Senate Passage of Immigration Bill

(Washington, DC) – Today, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) issued the following statement after he and the U.S. Senate voted 68-32 to pass S. 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act – also known as the Immigration Bill.

“Today’s overwhelming bipartisan vote moves us closer to giving millions of people in Connecticut and across the country the opportunity to step out of the shadows and pursue the American Dream.

 “This bill is not perfect, but we cannot let the perfect be the enemy of the good. And the good parts of this bill will provide more than 11 million people with an earned path to citizenship – including, most especially, DREAMers who were brought to this country by their parents as infants or very young children.

 “I am proud that many amendments I championed were included in this bill –provisions that protect immigrant workers, detainees, mothers, and children – and I will continue to champion the Little DREAMers amendment and other provisions that were not included. I hope my colleagues in the House give this bill the respect that it deserves by maintaining or improving upon its strengths.”  

The Immigration Bill includes eight amendments sponsored and secured by Blumenthal during the Judiciary Committee’s consideration of the measure. A list of these amendments is below.

 Protecting Sensitive Locations

Blumenthal 8 (1st Degree Amendment 2nd Degree Amendment): To protect children and other vulnerable individuals, the federal government has developed a policy that limits raids and other enforcement actions at or focused on sensitive locations, including schools, hospitals, and places of worship. However, the policy is not always followed and could be reversed by a future administration. This amendment codifies the existing limitations on enforcement actions in sensitive areas while leaving exceptions for exigent circumstances and properly approved operations.  

 Workers’ Rights

 Blumenthal 18 – Proof of Employment: This amendment gives workers protected by workplace protection laws the right to request a pay stub. This will allow immigrants on the path to citizenship to prove employment and make it easier to crack down on wage theft and other violations of America’s wage and hour laws. 

 Military Service

Blumenthal 12 – Naturalization: The amendment would allow a childhood arrival registered provisional immigrant who enlists in the military to naturalize. 

Due Process/Civil Rights  
 
Blumenthal 2 – Solitary Confinement: This amendment brings transparency, accountability, and due process to the use of solitary confinement in immigration detention, while leaving the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with the flexibility to use solitary confinement when necessary and appropriate. It also limits the overuse of solitary confinement against vulnerable groups like the mentally ill, children, and LGBT persons.

 Blumenthal 10 – Attorney General Reimbursement: This amendment creates an exception to S.744’s requirement that the Attorney General reimburse state, county, tribal, and municipal law enforcement for costs associated with the prosecution and pre-trial detention of immigration-related criminal cases declined by local offices of the U.S. Attorneys. Under this amendment, the Attorney General would not reimburse when there is reason to believe the detention or prosecution resulted from a violation of the law by a law enforcement official, such as an act of racial profiling.
 
Human Trafficking/Foreign Labor Recruiters 

Blumenthal 3 – Enforcement: This amendment makes the anti-human trafficking and foreign labor recruiter provisions in S.744 more effective by allowing workers who have been victims of recruiter violations to seek recourse against their employers, if, and only if, the employers have chosen to contract with an unregistered, unregulated foreign labor recruiter. 

Blumenthal 4 – Regulations: This amendment requires DHS to consult with the Department of Labor when developing regulations to implement the anti-human trafficking and foreign labor recruiter provisions of S.744 (Title III, Subtitle F). 

Blumenthal 5 – Transparency (1st Degree Amendment  2nd Degree Amendment): This amendment enhances the disclosure and transparency provisions of the anti-human trafficking and foreign labor recruiter provisions of S.744 (Title III, Subtitle F). The amendment requires foreign labor recruiters to inform recruited temporary workers of plans regarding the renewal of a temporary worker visa and of their right not to have their contract changed without their informed consent. In addition, the amendment requires employers who use foreign labor recruiters to report who is responsible for paying the recruiter. Finally, this amendment makes other technical changes to Title III, Subtitle F.