Robert Menendez

Whether your family was part of the voyage on the Mayflower, one of the millions that stepped off a ship at Ellis Island, part of those who were brought to this nation against their own will, or, like my own parents, came to this country fleeing tyranny and searching for freedom, the vast majority of Americans have a personal connection to immigration. Unfortunately, our current immigration laws have failed us. That is why I support balanced comprehensive immigration reform that will enforce our laws, secure our borders and protect our national security, while also reflecting current economic realities and respecting the core values of family unity and fundamental fairness. By requiring those who are here in an undocumented manner to register with the federal government, pay taxes and learn English, we can determine who is here to pursue the American Dream, and who might be here to destroy it.

Highlights

• Detention system -- Author of a legislative package to reform the nation's detention system in the wake of deaths in detention facilities and the unlawful detention and deportation of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents. The two-bill proposal include: the Protect Citizens from Unlawful Detention Act, which would establish minimum standards of procedure and treatment for U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents and immigrants who are impacted by immigration enforcement and detention operations. It also includes the Strong STANDARDS Act, which sets minimum detention standards and requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to ensure that laws concerning the treatment of detainees are properly enforced.

• Widow and orphan immigration -- Author of provisions passed by the Senate in 2009 that allows orphans, widows and widowers to continue in the family immigration system. There are more than 200 surviving spouses of U.S. citizens fighting against immigration deportation and countless other legal immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers who have been deported or risk deportation because of the death of a loved one. This law offers a lasting solution for these legal immigrants impacted by the death of a loved one.