Immigration

Fixing our broken immigration system is an urgent priority.

As the son of an immigrant, I'm familiar with the unique promise America represents for families. I know how hard immigrants work, how much they believe in this country, and how much they're willing to give back.

New Mexico's remarkable spirit is rooted in our diversity, history, and culture, which has always been enriched by our immigrant communities and family members.  At the same time, the laws that govern our country's immigration system are antiquated and ineffective.

We need a solution that includes a visa system that meets the needs of our economy, a tough but fair path to earned citizenship for the estimated 11 million people in our country who are undocumented, and a plan that ensures security at our borders.

I’ve been a lead proponent of the DREAM Act, and I know that a commitment to reform our country’s immigration system also requires a commitment to our students. DREAMers represent what’s best about our nation: hard work, motivation, and a willingness to serve this country in uniform. DREAMers are bright, inspiring, and most of them don’t know how to be anything but an American.

New Mexicans are eager for a solution, DREAM Act students deserve a solution, and our economy requires a solution. I will continue to work with my colleagues to ensure that we achieve accountable immigration reform that works for New Mexico and the country.

Latest

  • Udall, Heinrich Demand Oversight Hearings on the Deaths of Two Migrant Children in Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Custody

    WASHINGTON -  U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich urged the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees to hold hearings on the tragic deaths of two migrant children in Department of Homeland Security (DHS) custody. In December alone, 7-year-old Jakelin Caal Maquin and 8-year-old Felipe Alonzo-Gomez died in New Mexico after they were detained along with their fathers by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) after crossing the border, raising serious concerns about detaining migrant children. In their letter, the senators detail the urgent need for effective Congressional oversight to prevent such tragedies from happening in the future.  Read More

  • Udall, Heinrich, Harris, Gillibrand, Luján Demand Investigation into Death of Felipe Alonzo-Gomez

    WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and U.S. Representative Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) wrote to leadership of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) demanding an immediate investigation into yet another tragic death of a child in U.S. custody, eight-year-old Felipe Alonzo-Gomez, near the U.S.-Mexico border – this time in Alamogordo, N.M. Felipe is the second child to die in CBP custody in December, following the tragic death of seven-year-old Jakelin Caal Maquin earlier this month. Read More

  • N.M. Delegation Demands Oversight Hearings On Death Of 7-Year-Old Migrant Child

    Dec. 19, 2018) - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Representatives Ben Ray Luján and Michelle Lujan Grisham urged the incoming Senate and House Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees to convene oversight hearings on the death of Jakelin Caal Maquin, a 7-year-old girl from Guatemala who died on December 8, 2018, after being taken into custody with her father by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in Lordsburg, New Mexico. Read More

  • NM, TX Lawmakers Demand Answers on Death of 7-Year-Old Migrant Child in CBP Custody

    WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representatives Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-N.M.), Marc Veasey (D-Texas) and Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) wrote to leadership of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) demanding an immediate investigation into the tragic death of a 7-year-old girl from Guatemala who died on December 8, 2018, after being taken into custody with her father by CBP in Lordsburg, N.M. Read More

  • Udall, Heinrich, Harris Call On ICE And CBP To Release Documentation On Death Of Transgender Woman In ICE Custody

    Dec. 5, 2018) - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.) sent a letter to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Ronald D. Vitiello and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin K. McAleenan urging the immediate public release of a death review and supporting documentation on Roxana Hernández, a 33-year old transgender woman who died at a New Mexico hospital while in ICE custody. The senators have also requested documentation of ICE and CBP training related specifically to the treatment and safety of transgender individuals in custody. Read More

  • Udall, Heinrich, O’Rourke Demand Answers from HHS on Unaccompanied Migrant Children Detained at Tornillo Facility

     U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representative Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas) urged U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar to provide information on the operations and conditions of the temporary tent facility in Tornillo, Texas housing detained unaccompanied migrant children. In a letter to Azar, the lawmakers demanded answers regarding the expansion of the Tornillo facility, and new administration policies that are seemingly prolonging detention of children and deterring sponsors from coming forward to take custody of the detained children. Read More

  • Udall, Heinrich To HHS And DHS Secretaries: Family Detention Is Morally Wrong, Harmful To Children and Parents, Inconsistent With Fundamental American Values

    U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) along with a number of Democratic Senators sent a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen imploring them to rescind the proposed regulation to allow the Trump Administration to facilitate the indefinite detention of children in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities and avoid complying with the government's legal obligations under the 1997 Flores Settlement.  Read More

  • Udall, Heinrich to DHS Secretary Nielsen: Under Your Leadership, Immigration Crisis Grows Worse By The Day

    U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen imploring her to reverse course on several anti-immigrant policies implemented by her agency, including by immediately reunifying all children separated at the border by the Trump Administration's zero-tolerance policy. In the letter, led by U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), ranking member of the Senate's Immigration Subcommittee, the lawmakers called on Secretary Nielsen to restore DACA, support the bipartisan Dream Act, re-designate and extend the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for ten countries currently meeting standards for the program, and end the Muslim travel ban.  Read More

  • With Hundreds of Children Still Separated from Families, Udall and Heinrich Propose Amendments to Hold Administration Accountable for Family Separation

    "The permanent trauma President Trump's zero-tolerance policies inflicted on parents and their innocent children, many of whom are refugees fleeing violence and seeking asylum, is inhumane," said Heinrich. “There is still no clear plan from the White House to ensure they will make sure every child is reunited with their family. This amendment is about holding the White House accountable for adhering to our laws, to American values, and for executing a clear plan to right this horrific wrong.” Read More