Comprehensive Immigration Reform
Our immigration system is broken and in desperate need of reform. I support a comprehensive approach that strikes the right balance between securing our borders and providing a viable and humanitarian option for the over 12 million undocumented individuals currently living in the United States. We need to create a pathway to citizenship so that undocumented immigrants can come out from the shadows, legally get jobs, learn English, pay taxes, and earn the opportunity to become American citizens.
I oppose discriminatory ‘stop and check' policies, or the ability for state and local law enforcement to require documentation based on how people look or how they speak. Those practices promote racial profiling, compromise equal protection under the law and have already led to credible allegations of wrongful arrests and harassment.
More on Comprehensive Immigration Reform
The United States is now on track to set a record in 2023 for mass killings. Just last week, a neo-Nazi with an arsenal of firearms killed eight people and wounded seven others at a Dallas-area shopping mall. These tragic mass shootings are in addition to the everyday shootings that we continue to see. We need action now.
For the first time since 1996, the Democratic National Convention is set to take place in Chicago! Reports show that the 2024 convention is expected to provide a well-needed $150 million boost to our economy. The eyes of the world will be watching, and I cannot wait to show off our magnificent city.
Last week, President Biden announced he is pardoning all Americans who have been convicted of simple marijuana possession under federal law. The executive order will benefit 6,500 people with federal convictions. The criminalization of marijuana and this nation's failed ‘War on Drugs' has devastated our communities of color.
ICE Enforcement Actions Anticipated
According to the President, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) plans to conduct immigration enforcement operations around the country. The operation is expected to target families and young adults who entered the United States as unaccompanied children.
I am proud to represent the 9th Congressional District of Illinois, a district that is home to an extremely diverse group of people, and a region with a long and rich history of immigrant communities. I fully support and welcome all of my constituents, and I want to do everything in my power to prevent our community residents from deportation and family separation.
WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, a Senior Chief Deputy Whip, made the following statement today after the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 6, the American Dream and Promise Act:
"As a first generation American and daughter of immigrants, I am so proud to have cosponsored, voted for, and help pass the American Dream and Promise Act, H.R. 6. This legislation ensures that Dreamers, Temporary Protective Status (TPS) holders, and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) recipients are protected from detention and deportation and have a pathway to U.S. citizenship.
Today, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, a Senior Chief Deputy Whip and Vice Chair of the Democracy Reform Task Force, offered the following response following President Trump's Tuesday night address:
"What began as a campaign gimmick designed to fire up white nationalist crowds, has morphed into a giant poison pill that is impacting the lives of millions of Americans. More than 800,000 federal employees are working without pay. Funding for food stamps, and to enforce the Violence Against Women act, is running out. And, that is only the start.
Today, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, a Senior Chief Deputy Whip and Vice Chair of the Democracy Reform Task Force, offered the following statement after she cosponsored H.R. 1, the For the People Act, the House Democratic Majority's signature legislation to strengthen democracy, get big money out of politics, and clean up Congress:
"I am proud to join Speaker Pelosi, Congressman John Sarbanes, and more than 155 other House Democrats in taking an important first step toward fulfilling our promise to strengthen our democracy."
This week, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky was named a Vice Chair of the Democracy Reform Task Force by Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. The Task Force, chaired by Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD), was formed to advance legislative priorities that ensure that our government is controlled by the people, not wealthy and well-connected interests. It will also focus on confronting the Trump Administration’s many conflicts of interest and ethical lapses.
Washington, D.C. (June 25, 2012) — Today, Rep. Jan Schakowsky released the following statement after the Supreme Court declared three out of four key provisions of Arizona's SB 1070 unconstitutional:
"I am pleased that the Supreme Court struck down three out of the four key provisions of Arizona's dangerous immigration law. The ruling shows that the Obama Administration was right to challenge the law's constitutionality and reaffirms the notion that the federal government should frame immigration law, not states.