Voters support Jordan Commission recommendations

I hope you will study the recommendations made by the Jordan Commission on Immigration Reform before voting on immigration bills during the 115th Congress. The commission, headed by civil rights activist Barbara Jordan and endorsed by then-President Bill Clinton, recommended that immigration laws be enforced and immigration levels be reduced to secure our nation and improve the lives of all Americans.

Rep. Barbara Jordan and her colleagues recognized that immigration enforcement was necessary to have an immigration system that served the national interest and that lowering immigration numbers would benefit less-educated American workers. The Jordan Commission also recommended:

  • a scaling back of family chain-migration by implementing a prioritization of nuclear family relationships to determine who will be admitted through family-based immigration. Spouses and minor children of US citizens would continue to be admitted as first priority;
  • the elimination of other family-based admission categories;
  • focusing on the admission of highly-skilled individuals whose skills would benefit our society. The Commission recommended the elimination of the admission of unskilled workers and elimination of the diversity visa lottery;
  • an immigration admissions level of 550,000 per year; and
  • stressing that deportation is crucial. “Credibility in immigration policy can be summed up in one sentence: those who should get in, get in; those who should be kept out, are kept out; and those who should not be here will be required to leave.”

High immigration levels and lax border security and enforcement harms less-educated and lower-skilled Americans by making it easier for businesses to hire less-expensive foreign labor. These Americans will continue to be left behind until immigration enforcement is put into place and immigration levels are reduced to sustainable levels. The Jordan Commission recognized this, as did then-President Bill Clinton when he endorsed its proposals.

Americans are depending on Congress to reform our immigration system so that it serves the national interest. I urge you to study the Jordan Commission’s findings before voting on immigration legislation.

Phone me if you would like to talk about this,

Greg Raven, Apple Valley, CA

Author: Greg Raven

I am deeply concerned about quality of life issues.