Washington, D.C. — TechNet, the national, bipartisan network of innovation economy CEOs and senior executives, today weighed in regarding the immigration debate in Congress, including the administration’s policy of separating children from their parents. The following statement is attributable to TechNet President and CEO Linda Moore:
“America’s immigration policies and practices are a mess right now — complicated, outdated, anti-competitive, and divisive. On the one hand, the administration is using its executive powers to needlessly separate families coming in to the U.S. and undermine legal immigration programs that promote economic growth and competitiveness. On the other hand, Congress has failed to act on long overdue reforms to modernize our immigration system and address the reality of our undocumented population, including Dreamers who, through no fault of their own, were brought to this country as children.
“But, this moment is bigger than just whether a bill will pass or fail. We stand at a crossroads as a nation. As we continue to see heartbreaking images from the border and hear upsetting audio recordings of young children crying for their parents, the administration and Congress must take action to correct this wrong immediately instead of digging in their heels and retreating to their respective political corners.
“We urge the President to immediately cease the child separation policy and work in good faith with Congress to advance legislation that provides a long-awaited and deserved solution for Dreamers. Although we strongly oppose the Securing America’s Future Act (H.R. 4760) and have concerns about the Border Security and Immigration Reform Act of 2018 (H.R. 6136), we believe it is important for the House to act on the compromise proposal (H.R. 6136) and allow this debate to continue in the Senate where improvements can be made.
“We hope that Congress will work in a bipartisan manner. We ask policymakers to remember that while the security of the American people is the paramount priority, we should always strive to achieve that goal without losing our humanity as a nation.”