Coakley joins AGs’ call for immigration reform

BOSTON – Mass. Attorney General Martha Coakley led a bipartisan group of 35 attorneys general – including R.I. Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin – that sent a letter this month to U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and congressional leaders calling for broad reform of the federal immigration system.
According to a news release, the attorneys general are urging reform that protects the country’s borders while providing a responsive and effective visa system to meet the demands of the nation’s growing economy.
The letter states their support for a law-enforcement strategy that focuses on public safety, targets serious crime, safeguards witnesses and victims and considers national-security implications for porous borders. They also urged a “reasonable and predictable” regulatory environment that considers the interests of, and the unintended consequences to, businesses, workers and consumers.
The attorneys general recognized that immigration policy is primarily a federal responsibility, and pledged to lend their voice and expertise to federal legislators. •

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