Immigration: a pathway to legal status
What they say
His campaign says he supports a reasonable and responsible pathway to citizenship, for people who want to come and for people already here, and that he will work on immigration reform until a solution is reached.
“David supports a reasonable and responsible pathway to citizenship for those wishing to enter our country and those already here.”
Source: Valadao for Congress
What the record shows ·
He cosponsored H.R. 15 in 2013, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, which offered registered provisional immigrant status to people living in the country unlawfully since before 2012, with later adjustment to permanent residence; its summary says they could then be naturalized in three years. He cosponsored the Dream Act of 2017 and was an original cosponsor of the USA Act of 2018, both offering conditional permanent residence to people brought to the country as minors. In June 2018 he voted No on the Securing America's Future Act (Roll Call 282, failed 193-231), which offered them a contingent nonimmigrant status, and Aye on the Border Security and Immigration Reform Act (Roll Call 297, failed 121-301), which offered people who arrived before 16 a renewable contingent status and a points-based route to immigrant status. On March 18, 2021 he voted Yea on House passage of the American Dream and Promise Act (Roll Call 91, 228-197), which offered conditional permanent residence to qualifying people brought to the country as minors and permanent residence to some holders of temporary protected status, and of the Farm Workforce Modernization Act (Roll Call 93, 247-174), which he cosponsored and which created a certified agricultural worker status. Both passed the House and went no further. He cosponsored the Dignity Act in 2023 and was an original cosponsor of the Dignity Act of 2025; both were referred to subcommittee.
Sources: Congress.gov, Congress.gov, Congress.gov, Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives, Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives, Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives, Congress.gov, Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives, Congress.gov, Congress.gov, Congress.gov, Office of Congressman David G. Valadao
Limit: His votes and cosponsorships run the way his campaign says, from his first term to his current one. None of these bills became law. Most offer a provisional, conditional or contingent status first, and permanent residence, the step before citizenship, only after years. His office's release says the 2025 Dignity Act “grants legal status and a path to permanent residency for Dreamers.” The campaign page is undated and appears to predate 2023.