Today, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03) released the below statement after voting against H.R. 2:

“Every country has an obligation to protect its citizens and secure its sovereign borders, but the Biden Administration has failed to end the humanitarian crisis taking place at the United States-Mexico border.

Unfortunately the partisan bill put on the floor today would make the situation even worse. Amendments to strip out extreme ideas and make the bill bipartisan were rejected. Our immigration system is broken, and the solution needs to be comprehensive and bipartisan. H.R. 2 failed both these tests.

This bill prevents churches and faith-based organizations from being able to provide humanitarian work in their communities. As someone who grew up in the church and whose father was a pastor, I know just how essential this work is to the people they serve. Our churches don’t need the federal government meddling.

This bill would also mandate the use of the burdensome e-verify program without providing solutions to help small businesses and agriculture employers hire the workers who harvest our food. The e-verify provision will only harm our economy and make life more difficult in rural communities.

This bill isn’t the solution that Southwest Washington and our country deserves. We don’t need more political grandstanding. What we need is a bipartisan compromise that treats people with dignity and strengthens our national security, and I’m ready to work with Republicans and Democrats to get it done.”