O’Malley to highlight immigration reform in Iowa visit

CEDAR RAPIDS - Former Gov. Martin O'Malley will lay out what he calls bold reforms to fix outdated immigration laws that 'aren't meeting our economic needs, our national security imperatives or our values.”

His plan, which he will highlight on his fifth trip to Iowa since announcing his presidential campaign in May, will address immigration reform through executive action to provide immediate relief to the millions of 'New Americans” while forging a new consensus for comprehensive immigration reform that includes a pathway to citizenship.

O'Malley takes the issues personally, his Iowa campaign spokeswoman Kristin Sosanie said Tuesday because when his great grandfather came to the United States from Ireland he had no money and his first language was not English.

'But the hopes and dreams he had for his children were purely American,” O'Malley wrote in an opinion piece published in The Gazette today.

'We are a nation of immigrants,” according to O'Malley, 'but today, the very essence of our country, the diversity that makes us great and rejuvenates us with each new arrival, is being eroded.

'Now, to continue to attract the next generation of strivers, dreamers and risk-takers, and to be true to the values we hold dear, we must pursue a dynamic, modern approach to immigration policy as a nation,” he wrote.

O'Malley will talk about immigration, including its importance to the Iowa economy in agricultural production in stops Friday in Cedar Rapids and Washington, Iowa, Friday ahead of his speech that evening at the Iowa Democratic Party's annual Hall of Fame Celebration in Cedar Rapids.

It seems appropriate O'Malley would address immigration in Iowa, Sosanie said, not only because of its importance in the AG sector, but because Iowa has been the scene of some of the largest immigration raids in the country.

'You've seen families torn apart and thrown in a detention center in Waterloo,” O'Malley said. 'It's not only heartbreaking, it's disruptive to the workforce as well.”

Although there is little difference between the Democratic candidates on the issue and Democratic voters are overwhelmingly in favor of allowing illegal immigrants to stay in this country and seek citizenship, Sosanie said O'Malley has a track record as well as 15 years of elected executive experience as mayor of Baltimore and governor.

As governor, he signed the Maryland DREAM Act and allowed undocumented immigrants to get driver's licenses.

'I stood up to the Obama administration on deportation of unaccompanied minors and have stood with President Barack Obama on his executive actions on DACA and DAPA” - Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals and Deferred Action on Parental Accountability.

Immigration laws have not kept up with the changing hiring needs of employers 'and it tears families apart,” O'Malley said.

He proposes to create an independent agency to set immigration policy based on the real-time needs of our economy.

'Comprehensive immigration reform will help all families - by lifting wages, creating new jobs, growing our economy, expanding our tax base, and improving standards for all workers,” according to O'Malley. 'With new leadership, we can and will come together to make immigration reform a reality so that the enduring symbol of our nation will forever be the Statue of liberty and never become the barbed wire fence.”

O'Malley's Friday schedule includes:

12:30 p.m., meet-and-greet, Art Domestique, 118 S. Iowa Ave., Washington

5:15 p.m., meet-and-greet, White Star Ale House, 305 2nd Ave, SE, Cedar Rapids

7 p.m., Hall of Fame dinner, Cedar Rapids Convention Complex, 350 First Ave, NE, Cedar Rapids