Bill Johnson Statement on White House Immigration Proposal

Statement

Congressman Bill Johnson (R-Marietta) released the following statement after attending President Trump's immigration announcement at the White House:

Our immigration system is beyond broken. Reasonable people can disagree on potential solutions, but not on the fact that a major overhaul is necessary.

Today, I was at the White House as President Trump laid out a sweeping new proposal designed to move the United States from a family-based immigration system to an employment and skill-based system. Those coming into our country should be judged on their merits and skills, rather than their family connections. This long overdue overhaul to our immigration system will allow the United States to have greater control of our borders and prioritize highly-skilled immigrants who can fuel innovation, promote economic growth, and increase America's competitive advantage on the world stage.

Importantly, the other component of the President's plan includes more border wall construction, to be financed by new fees on trade collected at the border. I've stated over and over that I am open to immigration reform -- as long as it is accompanied by real, tangible border security up front. Without security upgrades at our southern border, we'll continue to face the same problems in the future that we do today.

I applaud President Trump for tackling this issue. It can be divisive and thorny, but it must be addressed, and not kicked down the road. I like what I heard today, and I look forward to learning more about his proposal, and debating it with my colleagues.

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