CHC CHAIR GONZALEZ STATEMENT ON SEC.NAPOLITANO’S NEW IMMIGRATION INITIATIVES

Washington D.C.: Chairman Charles A. Gonzalez (TX 20) released a statement in response to Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Alejandro Mayorkas efforts to attract and retain foreign entrepreneurial talent that could create jobs, form startup companies and invest capital in areas of high unemployment.

“I welcome the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services initiative to re-think administrative practices as a way to spark our economic engines. After all, according to the Small Business Association, immigrant business owners contributed $67 billion of business income, about 12 percent all business income in our country.

“While every effort to create jobs is a step in the right direction, we cannot overlook the wealth of resources already within our country. It is my hope that this spirit of initiative is carried over to the pool of talent that our country has in the DREAM Act students-- who if given the opportunity to continue their pursuits in higher education-- have the potential to serve as a rich source of job creation and entrepreneurship.”

“This initiative is based on how America was built and what we as a country are about. Fine examples of whom we should accept are the Dream Act children who were caught in a legal and political situation that they knew nothing about. DREAM Act students have the potential to become entrepreneurs, innovators, doctors, lawyers, teachers, scientists, and even members of Congress. They are ready to contribute to our nation’s competitiveness in our global economy. Why not let them?”