Meaningful immigration reform should be part of a larger strategy to strengthen our economy and put more money back in people’s pockets, writes Congressman David Valadao and Daniel Garza for Sun View.
Whether I’m home in the Central Valley or working in Washington, affordability is one of the biggest concerns I hear from families.
They feel it every time they buy groceries, fill up their gas tank, pay the mortgage, or see a doctor. Despite this daily reality, Sacramento politicians continue to make life more expensive.
While Democrats in the super majority in Sacramento keep raising costs, Republicans in Congress are focused on policy solutions that deliver real relief.
Last year, I helped Congress pass the largest tax reform bill in a decade, preventing the biggest tax hike in American history, expanding deductions, and helping families keep more of their hard-earned money. We’ve already seen the positive effects of this legislation, with 2026 filing data showing the largest tax refunds for families in years.
I’m also proud to have worked with my colleagues across the aisle to make it easier to build housing, expand domestic energy production, support small businesses, and lower healthcare costs for all Americans.
A recent national poll conducted by the LIBRE Institute found that while the economy remains a top concern for Hispanic Americans, nearly nine out of ten also believe our legal immigration system needs to be fixed.
That reflects conversations I’ve had with families, farmers, employers, and workers throughout the Central Valley. People want the opportunity to work hard, keep more of what they earn, and build their own American Dream.
That’s why I believe meaningful immigration reform should be part of a larger strategy to strengthen our economy and put more money back in people’s pockets.
But if Congress is serious about making life more affordable, we must fix our broken immigration system.
The Central Valley’s economy depends on agriculture, construction, and hospitality—all industries that need a stable, legal workforce. When employers can’t find enough workers, crops go unharvested, projects are delayed, supply chains tighten, and businesses face higher costs.
These are realities that I understand firsthand.
When input costs for producers go up, we see higher prices for everyday goods. A functioning legal immigration system helps keep our economy moving and makes it easier to bring costs down.
That’s why I helped introduce the DIGNITY Act, which strengthens border security by increasing mandatory funding for border control while also creating an earned pathway to legal work status for Dreamers and other long-term undocumented residents who meet strict requirements. This bipartisan bill does not grant amnesty to those who broke the law by entering or staying in the country illegally, but instead creates a process for those peacefully living in and contributing to continue to do so with an appropriate work visa.
The bill reinforces the principle that America is a nation of laws while also giving people who work hard, have no criminal record, and have contributed to our communities for years the opportunity to right past wrongs and participate in the American Dream.
While long-term legal status is an important part of the solution, we also need reliable temporary worker programs. As a member of the House Committee on Agriculture, I was proud to co-sponsor the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act—one of the most significant overhauls of the H-2A farm labor visa system in nearly forty years.
This bipartisan bill updates a system built for seasonal agriculture to ensure it works for year-round industries, creates predictable wage requirements, and provides producers with the workforce certainty needed to invest in future operations. A reliable workforce means stable production and affordable food for Central Valley families when they visit the grocery store.
Reasonable immigration reform is no longer just an idea in Washington. Both the DIGNITY Act and Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act have built broad bipartisan support because many lawmakers recognize that a functioning, legal immigration system strengthens our economy and helps bring costs down for working families across the nation.
Central Valley families don’t expect every problem to be solved overnight, but they do expect their elected leaders to work together and deliver results. That means lowering taxes, cutting unnecessary regulations, securing our border, and fixing our broken immigration system.
Sacramento politicians may continue to increase the cost of living, but I’ll keep working in Washington to advance commonsense policies that make life more affordable for the families I represent.
