Washington  – Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill) were joined by Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) to call on Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, to hold a hearing on legislation to address green-card backlogs.

“One of the most serious problems in our immigration system is that prospective immigrants are stuck in green-card backlogs for many years.  These backlogs harm our economy and are a hardship on families who are caught in immigration limbo,” the senators wrote in a letter to Chairman Cornyn.

Specifically, the senators requested that the subcommittee hold a hearing to receive testimony from experts and affected communities on relevant pending legislation, including, S. 386, the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act; S. 2091, the Backlog Elimination, Legal Immigration, and Employment Visa Enhancement (BELIEVE) Act and S. 2603, the Resolving Extended Limbo for Immigrant Employees and Families (RELIEF) Act. 

Full text of the letter is available here and below:

October 30, 2019

Dear Chairman Cornyn:

We respectfully request that the Subcommittee on Border Security and Immigration hold a hearing on legislation to address green-card backlogs.

One of the most serious problems in our immigration system is that prospective immigrants are stuck in green-card backlogs for many years.  These backlogs harm our economy and are a hardship on families who are caught in immigration limbo.

A hearing before the Subcommittee on Border Security and Immigration to receive testimony from experts and impacted communities will help the Senate advance bipartisan legislation that meaningfully and thoughtfully addresses green-card backlogs. We therefore request that the Subcommittee hold a hearing on relevant pending legislation, including, S. 386, the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act; S. 2091, the Backlog Elimination, Legal Immigration, and Employment Visa Enhancement (BELIEVE) Act; and S. 2603, the Resolving Extended Limbo for Immigrant Employees and Families (RELIEF) Act. 

Thank you for your time and consideration.  We look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

cc: The Honorable Lindsey Graham, Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee

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