Congressional Testimony

One of the primary ways that Congress assesses current policies and formulates new ones is to solicit expert testimony from individuals and organizations. Being asked to testify before a congressional committee is an indication that the people who make our laws believe that the information and views being presented are authoritative and provide valuable perspective on national issues.

Since its inception in 1979, FAIR has been asked to provide testimony before congressional committees more than 90 times on virtually every aspect of immigration policy. FAIR has testified before House and Senate committees under both Democratic and Republican control. In addition to congressional testimony, FAIR has been invited to appear before state and local legislatures, blue ribbon panels and commissions.

Over the years, FAIR has offered expert testimony in the areas of legal and illegal immigration, refugee and asylum policy, homeland security, narcotics interdiction, labor issues, the Census, and the administration and effectiveness of federal agencies that execute and enforce these policies.

Few organizations, of any size, are invited to provide testimony before Congress as frequently as FAIR has been over the years. Since 1979, there has not been an important piece of immigration legislation that has not included expert testimony from FAIR.

Since the beginning of 2006 alone, the organization has presented testimony on issues including:

• Enforcement of immigration laws within the interior of the United States
• Amnesty for illegal aliens and increases in admission of foreign guest workers
• The history of U.S. immigration policy
• The impact of immigration on American workers
• Non-citizens voting in U.S. elections
• Economic impact of illegal immigration at the State level