Dear Members of Congress,
I write to you not as a policy expert or a political strategist, but as a first generation American whose life is a result of an immigration system that once worked as it was meant to. My parents followed the legal process, waited many years, interviewed, and built a life. Because of that process, I stand here today as living proof that when immigration is handled fairly and efficiently, it strengthens the United States.
I understand that immigration is one of the most complex, controversial, debatable, issues facing our country today. Many Americans are concerned about border security, overwhelmed communities, and the rule of law. These concerns are not unreasonable. A nation has the right to secure its borders and enforce its laws because public safety and national stability matter big time; by ignoring these concerns it would be extremely dishonest and selfish of the government.
However, what we have now is not a “strong enforcement,” It is a system that is overburdened, inefficient, and disconnected from the values we claim to uphold.
Our current immigration approach focuses heavily on punishment and control, often treating asylum seekers and migrants as criminals rather than individuals seeking safety or opportunity. Families are separated, people wait years; some even waiting a decade for asylum hearings due to court backlogs.
Detention centers are overcrowded, border agencies are overwhelmed, spending billions of dollars while cases continue to pile up. Billions of dollars that the government does not have to fund. Recent data shows immigration courts currently face 3.75 million pending cases. This is not effective governance – It is dysfunctional.
The Department of Homeland Security is flooded with millions of cases. Immigration courts face staggering backlogs, when Asylum cases take years to resolve, it creates uncertainty for families, pressure on the community, and frustration among immigrant families. Including those who argue for stricter enforcement among border control.
America has always described itself as a nation of immigrants. We have learned to pledge allegiance to liberty and justice for all since preschool; we celebrate the American dream, the idea that through hard work and lawful process, individuals can build a better life. My parents believed in that dream, they respected the law, trusted the process, and contributed to this country in return.
Today, that process is so backlogged that it discourages lawful pathways. This contradiction harms not only immigrants but American citizens. This is why I urge Congress to pursue practical and balanced reform.
First, by significantly increasing the number of immigration judges and Court staff in general, the backlog will not resolve itself. Faster case processing would reduce year-long uncertainty, decrease attention overcrowding, and reinforce and encourage legal pathways.
Second, creating structured timely work authorizing for asylum applicants with pending cases. When people are allowed to work legally while waiting for their hearing, they contribute to not only the economy, but they support themselves, and reduce strain on public resources. Also,they do the jobs that privileged people do not want to do.
By holding back people from working it does not solve immigration issues it only deepens instability further. According to the American Immigration Council, immigrants contribute 18.6% to the U.S. economy annually.
Third, prioritizing alternatives for non-violent Asylum seekers. Giving supervised release programs and check-in systems are more cost-efficient and humane, this helps keep order while still maintaining accountability and compliance to the law.
These proposals do not abolish border security. They do not ignore the law, they rather strengthen it; they align enforcement with efficiency and humanity.
Some may argue that reform signals weakness. However, I would argue the opposite; a confident nation does not fear fairness. Whereas a strong Nation can protect its borders while following due process.
As a first generation American, I do not write this letter out of anger. I write it out of concern and hope. My family followed the system because they believed in it. I want future families to have the same opportunities, not to view the system as chaotic or with fear, or impossible to navigate.
This issue is not abstract for me. Immigration shapes my life, my education, and my future. But this letter is not about my personal story, it is about whether our policies reflect the Constitutional values we teach in classrooms and celebrate in holidays and speeches.
Members of congress, you have the authority to transform dysfunction and to reform. You have the power to reduce backlogs, increase efficiency, and influence others to obey the law. By doing so it will help reflect the best of America and its values.
The American people are watching and many want order and humanity. Reformation does not require to leave behind principles but it requires living up to them.
Respectfully,
Guadalupe R. Gutierrez
