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Rep. Goodlatte on Immigration Reform

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    Rep. Bob Goodlatte, (R-Va.), on efforts to reform U.S. immigration policy.

  • Duration 5:43
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Oakley Obama administration and the bipartisan senate -- and they.

Are now pushing comprehensive immigration reform proposals.

Our first guest tonight urged a thoughtful incremental approach during today's Judiciary Committee here.

This will be a massive undertaking -- implications.

For the future direction of our nation.

As such we must move forward methodically.

And evaluate this issue in stages taking care to fully vet the pros and cons of each piece.

Joining us now -- the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee chairman Bob -- good to have you with us mr.

chairman.

-- -- would you the the issue.

Of immigration reform the big word attached to all of that is comprehensive that seems to be the the principal.

This defining.

Descriptive word in all of this and when -- I've heard so many people say as we have -- broken.

Immigration system for -- lawful immigrants we have a broken border security system.

And we need a rational effective humane.

Reform -- existing immigration reform to give people at least a legal status who are here.

In most cases for -- long period of time illegally.

Why in this this fascination with the word comprehensive.

Well a lot of these issues do relate to each other people who are interest in having a legal status for people who are not lawfully here.

Also want to know how are you gonna stop this from happening again the last time it was done in 1986.

They thought they had the solution.

Give amnesty to people who -- here unlawfully and employee.

Sanctions against employers who hire those in the future.

That part was never enforced.

So the problem got worse not better we don't want a repeat that in the effort we're undertaking this time.

Then if you give legal status to people you have lots of sectors of our economy.

Where workers are right now and we may need to have a program that allows those sectors of the economy like agriculture.

To have.

Temporary workers to fill in for those that have been working.

Perhaps without.

Lawful status in many instances so that those industries don't go overseas so we've got to take.

-- look at all the different components but we can only do what we have consensus on.

And that consensus won't come here in the congress will come from the American people.

So we think we have to educate our members of congress and then get them to listen to their constituents and give us feedback as to what.

We can do that will work and that will be something acceptable to the public.

Mr.

chairman may I congratulate you.

You have just become the first congressman or senator with whom I've spoken on this issue.

Over the course of the past decade.

To say that the he did not.

Want to go out to educate the American people but rather to educate congress.

And go -- to the American people to hear their views their concerns their thoughts and their ideas.

I truly sincerely compliment you -- that.

And I think that is such are critically important perspective.

For our nation's leader.

We have a representative democracy.

And a lot of people overlook that when they look to the congress to rush in to solve a problem.

A lot of time we -- -- that we either put pass something that doesn't solve the problem.

Or we get it all built up to a large piece of legislation in the collapses.

As immigration reform did in the senate a few years ago you know those approaches is good I think the approach of looking at each aspect of this problem.

Trying to find common ground.

Is where we're starting and I think.

Has the most prospect of at least solving some of these problems if not finding that big.

Solution to the overall problem but it's gotta include both.

What you do in -- humane fashion with millions of people who are not here lawfully and what you do to prevent it from happening again.

And address the dislocation that will occur.

With -- whatever we do as a solution of the problem.

And what is of course as you pointed out in the national interest let me ask you there -- so little correlation.

In this country between.

What we need in the way of skills and education levels in the in the immigrants we seek lawfully.

Oh what is -- at least initial.

Perspective on that issue.

Well the United States is the most generous immigration policies where we admit a million people a year.

To lawful permanent resident status and only a small percentage of that are people we have.

Skills that we've identified that we need to help grow our economy and get our universities educate far more.

Then any in the world in terms of people -- graduate degrees in.

Science and technology and engineering and math the so -- stem categories right so what we need to do is to make sure that we look at our immigration from the standpoint of should we do what.

The United Kingdom -- candidate -- where 60%.

Of their lawful immigrants are related to job skills and educational background as opposed to.

Other qualifications that we use the United States that's got to be a part of this overall immigration reform processes well what we do to help American workers by keeping these talents here.

That create new companies that.

Have brilliant ideas that create new jobs for Americans as well as keep them here -- we've educated them here.

Congressman -- -- a -- we appreciate your being here chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.

Thank you very much -- we'll have --

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