Congressional Candidate Brownsberger Calls for Immigration Reform

Comprehensive immigration reform is essential both to the health of our economy and to ensure that we treat all people living in this country fairly and with dignity. I support S. 744, the immigration reform bill passed by the Senate in June, and particularly Title II, which creates a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, and Title IV, which increases the cap on the number of visas available to skilled workers and increases U.S. worker protections; and will work to enact S. 744 when I am elected to Congress.

Path to Citizenship

Title II of S. 744 would provide a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants living in the United States. The bill would enable undocumented immigrants to apply for Registered Provisional Immigrant (RPI) status if they meet certain requirements, including: having been present in the U.S. since December 31, 2011; no felony convictions and fewer than three misdemeanor convictions; passing a background check; payment of assessed taxes; payment of an application fee; and payment of a $1,000 penalty (which may be paid in installments). RPI status would initially last for 6 years, with the option of renewal for a subsequent 6 years upon application and another background check. A Registered Provisional Immigrant would be allowed to apply for a green card only once he or she had maintained RPI status for at least 10 years, and to apply for citizenship after holding a green card for 3 years.

I support the development of a path to citizenship, because I strongly believe it is not in anyone’s interest to have twelve million people living in this country without documentation. When people live here without legal documentation, they are unable to assert legal rights in many settings. In particular, they do not have employment protections available to them. Some employers may hire undocumented immigrants at less than minimum wage, without providing health and other benefits. Because this lack of protection makes undocumented immigrants less expensive to hire, some employers may hire them at the expense of workers of legal status. Creating a path to citizenship would allow better and more complete regulation of employment conditions and would set the stage for further steps such as increasing the minimum wage.

H-1B Visas

Title IV of S. 744 would (i) increase the annual cap on H-1B visas for non-immigrant skilled workers, and (ii) increase job protections for U.S. workers by increasing H-1B wage requirements and requiring employers to make significant efforts to recruit U.S. workers before hiring foreign workers. The bill also makes it easier for H-1B visa holders to change employers.

I support increasing the cap on H-1B visas, because our economy is in need of more temporary, skilled workers particularly in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (“STEM”). It is equally important, though, that jobs in these fields not be given to foreign workers at the expense of equally qualified U.S. citizens. The Title IV requirement that employers place mandatory ads and perform other good faith recruitment efforts before hiring an H-1B worker will help address this issue. Stipulations increasing H-1B wage requirements and making it easier for H-1B workers to change employers will also help avoid any issues of employer exploitation of foreign workers who need to maintain employment to keep their visas.

If elected to Congress, I will work hard on these important issues. Please visit wb4congress.com to learn more about my candidacy and don't hesitate to reach out to me personally -- my email is willbrownsberger@gmail.com and my cell phone is 617-771-8274.