WASHINGTON – Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY18) supports immigration reform, calling the present system “a mess,” but he does not support amnesty for illegal aliens.
The freshman lawmaker said we cannot deport millions of people who came to the United States illegally.
“I think there is a bipartisan solution here that would involve earned illegal status. If has to be earned and if you have broken our laws, you ought to pay a price and you ought to pay your debt, that’s the difference between amnesty and paying your dues and there ought to be things like criminal background check, and you ought to have to learn English and you have to pay taxes and you have to get in line behind the folks who were playing by the rules and trying to get here legally,” he said.
Maloney believes that through bipartisan efforts, immigration reform can be achieved this year.