House Majority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Reps. Jeff Denham (R-Calif.) and David Valadao (R-Calif.) discussed the necessity for immigration reform and border security during a recent Ripon Society event.
McCarthy said Denham and Valadao represented a new generation of common sense conservative leadership. He added that Denham and Valadao are important members of House efforts to strengthen border security, create jobs and pass other critical legislation.
Denham said immigration was one of the biggest issues Congress will face going forward.
“The president said in 2011 that the border is absolutely secure,” Denham said. “It is very obvious to the American public that it is not secure.”
Congress has the opportunity to secure the border, Denham said, and remedy the humanitarian crisis.
“I think this gives us an opportunity to not only secure the border and take care of this humanitarian crisis that we have today, but to really start the discussion,” Denham said. “Part of the challenge of politics at any level – but certainly in Washington, D.C. – is that nothing happens until it is a crisis or until there is a deadline.”
The immigration cliff is here, according to Denham, and Congress needs to solve the issue now and prevent future crises.
“As we move forward, if you keep the current system, you perpetuate the problem,” McCarthy said. “Forty-two percent of people who are here illegally came here legally. So our focus now is to secure the border and create a system that actually works.”