Luis V. Gutierrez (D-Ill.)

Immigration

Gutierrez's approach to immigration reform calls for an end to workplace raids, a limit to deportations that break-up families, creation of a program allowing millions of illegal immigrants to get behind legal immigrants for citizenship and other benefits. Gutierrez also supports border-security efforts.

Gutierrez was the House Democrat who worked on a bipartisan immigration bill that failed in 2007 and sought to give illegal immigrants a path toward citizenship while strengthening border security and enforcing penalties against employers.

In 2008 and 2009, Gutierrez headlined the "Familias Unidas" or United Families tour, holding mass rallies in places of worship to link immigration reform with religion.

Gutierrez criticized the Obama administration's approach to illegal immigration by stepping up enforcement and deportations of illegal immigrants in hopes of garnering bipartisan support for immigration reform. "It is a strategy which has borne no fruits whatsoever," Gutierrez said after the 2010 lame-duck Senate failed to vote on his DREAM Act. "This administration has unilaterally led the march on enforcement, yet the other side has not given one modicum of compromise."

On May 1, 2010, Gutierrez was arrested along with more than 30 pro-reform demonstrators following a sit-in in front of the White House.

Financial Services

On the 2010 financial-reform bill, Gutierrez worked to include safeguards such as requiring financial firms worth more than $50 billion to pay into a fund intended for future bailouts.

The initial House version of the bill included Gutierrez's proposal, but it was excluded from the final bill.

Puerto Rico

A proponent of Puerto Rican independence, Gutierrez has opposed legislation pushed in Congress that he says is designed to promote statehood.

In 2001, Gutierrez was arrested on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques for protesting the Navy's practice of using the island as a bombing range.

Gutierrez and other protesters claimed they were held too long without facing a judge and Navy members mistreated them. The Navy ended the bombings in 2003.

Health-Care Reform

After threatening to oppose the 2010 health-care reform bill for including provisions that would prohibit illegal immigrants from purchasing coverage through government-run exchanges, Gutierrez supported the bill, indicating that Washington would tackle immigration reform next.

"I believe we have a health care bill I can vote 'yes' for, and I believe we have a commitment to move forward on a comprehensive immigration reform package as soon as possible," Gutierrez said in a statement prior to the vote.

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