Maria Cantwell currently serves as a United States Senator for the State of Washington. As a respected leader – both in public service and in the private sector – Maria has always embraced the values she first learned growing up in a strong working-class family. With the help of Pell Grants, Maria was the first member of her family to graduate college. Later, a successful businesswoman in Washington's hi-tech industry, she helped build a company that created hundreds of high-paying jobs from the ground up.
Washington state has a long history of welcoming immigrants, and we know that diversity is an asset both in our communities and in our economy. Maria supports comprehensive immigration reform to fix our broken immigration system. In the Senate, she has worked to ensure humane and responsible immigration policy and believes that Congress should provide strong oversight of any abuses at the border.
Maria shares the view of many Washingtonians that the abhorrent conditions at detention facilities along the southern border are unacceptable and contrary to our American values. She believes in an end to family separations and has fought to establish health and safety standards for children and families at detention facilities. She has opposed harmful attempts to limit the ability of asylum-seekers to seek refuge in the United States and has fought to hold accountable the leadership of the Department of Homeland Security and Border Patrol.
As one of the original cosponsors of the DREAM Act, Maria believes in the promise of young immigrants and is a strong advocate for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. We must work together to make sure the promise of America endures for everyone.