Our current immigration system is broken. Unfortunately, Senate Republicans refuse to come to the table to address this issue and pass comprehensive immigration reform, but David is working in the House and with the Biden administration for a more fair, just, and orderly immigration system.

David strongly believes Congress should pass legislation to help approximately 11 million undocumented immigrants emerge from the shadows and provide a responsible path to citizenship for those who want to fully participate in our society and contribute to our nation's economy.  This begins with securing our border -- while still preserving the dignity and human rights of all migrants -- and ensuring that those without proper documentation pay any penalties and taxes, and pass criminal background checks before receiving citizenship.

Passing comprehensive immigration reform would help secure our border, protect workers, unite families, and provide an earned pathway to citizenship for hardworking immigrants. It will also help businesses expand, foster innovation, increase productivity, contribute to long-term wage growth, and help create more than 100,000 jobs every year. And according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, enacting such legislation could reduce our national deficit by more than $800 billion over the next decade, and estimates suggest that such legislation could boost our GDP by $1.7 and create almost half a million jobs over the same period.

While Republicans in Congress continue to block any attempts to consider comprehensive immigration reform, and we are still feeling the atrocious effects of Donald Trump’s anti-immigration agenda, David is working with colleagues to make change where reform is possible.

• David cosponsored and fought for House passage of the American Dream and Promise Act of 2021, which establishes a path to citizenship for more than 6,000 Dreamers (individuals brought to the U.S. as children) and those with Temporary Protected Status living in Rhode Island. This bill passed the House in March 2021.
• David backed the National Origin-Based Antidiscrimination for Nonimmigrants (NO BAN) Act, legislation that would repeal all versions of President Trump’s ban on Muslims, refugees, and asylum seekers and changes immigration law to prohibit discrimination based on religion.
• David cosponsored the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act, which would require more humane conditions at detention centers, ensure immigrants receive individualized court hearings, and prevent unreasonable detention of primary caregivers and other vulnerable populations.
• Representing one of the largest Portuguese populations in the nation, Cicilline introduced the AMIGOS Act, which would make it easier for Portugal and the U.S. to do business with each other by making Portuguese nationals eligible for E-1 and E-2 nonimmigrant visas.
• David has worked with the Biden administration to ensure America is doing its part to assist Ukrainian, Afghan and other refugees. This includes designating countries for Temporary Protected Status to citizens of countries that are unstable so that we do not deport people to unsafe conditions, asking the President to commit to raising the refugee cap, working to decrease our immigration backlog so that cases can be processed in a timely and fair fashion, and ensuring refugee organizations have the resources they need.
• David is a cosponsor of the Real Courts, Rule of Law Act, which would transition the nation’s immigration court system into an independent judiciary, ensuring fairness in immigration courtrooms, de-politicizing immigration proceedings, and reducing case backlogs.