There are nearly 40 million first-generation immigrants living in our country today, including about 10 million who are undocumented. About 60% of all illegal immigrants are from Mexico and about 20% are from Central America. Family reunification is the reason for most legal immigration to the US. The number of immigrants who became legal permanent residents in 2009 as a result of family reunification (66%) exceeded those who became legal residents on the basis of employment skills (13%) or for humanitarian reasons (17%).

In 2013, a bipartisan Senate passed a comprehensive approach to modernizing our immigration system that provided a tough but fair 13-year pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. It also created a new merit-based visa category to clear the backlog of more than 4 million people who have been waiting for years or decades to get a green card. This bill also provided for the largest investment in border security to date. By a vote of 68 to 32, the Senate passed S.744 - Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act. But House Speaker John Boehner refused to consider it — or any other form of immigration reform. Had this bill become law, it would’ve brought millions of people off the economic sidelines and put them on a pathway to citizenship. It also would have added $1.2 trillion to the economy, increase all Americans’ overall income by $625 billion and create an annual average of 145,000 jobs over a decade. Advocates claim if this bill had brought to a House vote, it would have almost certainly passed - and this is likely true today.

Proposed Legislation: S.744 - Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act (113th Congress 2013-2014)
Prospective Sponsor: Sen. Charles Schumer (NY)