North Carolina's Hagan Supports Senate Immigration Reform Bill

The battle over immigration reform in the United States continues.

The members of the Republican-led House say they will not consider the Senate version passed Thursday afternoon. With a vote of 68-to-32, U.S. Senators approved a measure that would create a citizenship pathway for about 11 million undocumented immigrants while increasing border security.

Some of the requirements include require undocumented immigrants to; pay back taxes, learn English, pass background checks, prove they can sustain themselves and restrict their access to federal benefits.

North Carolina Senator Kay Hagan voted for the bi-partisan measure and says the country can no longer afford to turn away young people educated in the U.S.  "We have universities that attract students from all over the world. What happens when they graduate and look for jobs or maybe they want to start a business here?," Sen. Hagan asks. "We tell them they can not do it in the U.S. and that includes North Carolina. Instead we send them home to become our competitors.” She also says this bill will help North Carolina's farmers who want to use immigrant workers to harvest their crops. Agriculture is a $77 billion dollar industry in our state.  According to Senator Hagan and other supporters, this reform bill will enhance the middle class and ultimately strengthen the U.S. economy.

But House members say they don't want to give unauthorized immigrants temporary legal status until tougher border security measures are fully implemented.