Earlier this month, Congressman Don Bacon re-introduced the “Kerrie Orozco First Responders Family Act.” The legislation allows the immediate relatives of first responders who die in the line of duty to continue to process their immigration application in a timely manner despite the death of their loved one. This legislation simply extends the privilege to first responders that current law affords to spouses of U.S. military serving our country.
“Our first responders put their lives on the line every time they go to work ensuring our families and communities are safe,” said Rep. Bacon. “If they are killed in the line of duty, we owe them peace of mind knowing their families will be taken care of and not forgotten.”
Under current law, the surviving family members of first responders who have pending immigration applications face delays in the naturalization process.
“Four years ago, when Officer Kerrie Orozco was killed, her husband Hector was going through the immigration process. His immigration status should not be put in jeopardy because his wife made the ultimate sacrifice protecting our community.” added Rep. Bacon. “Hector has the responsibility of raising their daughter Olivia and the right thing to do would be to ease the immigration process for him so he can move forward in caring for her.”
“It passed unanimously last Congress and we should do so again, and this time we need Senate support,” added Rep. Bacon.
This legislation is part of the Congressman’s overall approach to immigration, which includes securing our borders and fixing our broken immigration system
Rep. Bacon spoke spoke on the House floor Friday about the legislation