Congressman Towns Proposes Call for Joint House Senate Bipartisan Commission To Review Immigration Practices

The nature of the current debate on immigration has taken a divisive direction. Competing bills exist not only in the Senate and in the House, but in many state legislatures as well. We seem to have forgotten that immigration is basically a human concern. It's about the lives of millions of people-- both illegal immigrants and existing citizens. We have to get it right and for that we should gather all the best information and practices available.

Towards that end, I propose a ceasefire on the immigration debate currently going on in Congress. With congressional members split on a wide range of issues related to immigration, I recommend a Joint Senate and House bipartisan Commission with the power to conduct formal congressional hearings, conduct site visits, and gather the latest data with the objective of completing its final report in six months or less.