WASHINGTON, DC – Representative Raúl M. Grijalva issued a statement after voting against the House Republicans’ extreme anti-immigrant bill to seal the border:

“At its core, this Republican border bill is a cruel, heartless policy that makes our immigration system so unbearable that its stops migrants from seeking their right to asylum. This extreme anti-immigrant legislation is part of House Republicans’ fearmongering agenda that will further militarize border communities, endanger migrants and children, and limit the asylum-seeking process. Their proposed bill is punitive and will fail to deter migration to our southern border. Make no mistake: the House Republican majority would prefer to seal our borders and harm migrants and families than create effective and humane border solutions.”

“To manage our borders, we need to invest in our border communities and ports of entry. We need to address root causes and work with our regional hemispheric partners. We need to expand legal immigration pathways and ensure asylum seekers are able to approach a port of entry when seeking safety from violence and uncertainty. Solutions to this issue will not come through villainizing migrants and sealing the border with a wall. House Democrats are ready to address the humanitarian needs of migrants and border communities, manage the border and fix our broken immigration system.”