People often ask me why I care so much about immigration. Of course, my constituents care about it; they want to stop the chaos at the southern border and fix the asylum system, and they want to see people treated like human beings.

I agree with them. More than that, though, immigration is personal for me. I look at America through the lens of the immigrant story — the story of my family, and the story of the American dream.

My father came to this country as an infant. His parents — my grandparents — came from Italy with nothing. And yet, through hard work and devotion to family, they built a life here. Their son went to law school on the GI bill after serving in World War II, rising to become a mayor and a State Supreme Court justice. Their grandson is a member of the United States Congress.

An article that hung in my grandfather’s home, from Nov. 10, 1960, is titled “Success Story.” A segment reads:

“Glen Cove can be proud of its Mayor Joseph A. Suozzi, who was elected to the State Supreme Court on Tuesday …

Judge Suozzi came to these shores as an infant, the son of immigrant parents. Their lot was not an easy one, in a strange land, but Mr. and Mrs. Michael Suozzi raised a fine family, and while they lived comfortably, they did not gain great material wealth. But they did gain another kind of wealth which no Depression, no misfortune can ever take away from them. They devoted their lives to their family and their success of their children is their great fortune.

Now their boy, Joe, will soon be a Justice of the New York State Supreme Court. How proud they must be! And we who know them share their pride.

“Mike and Rosa Suozzi certainly made good in America. God bless them.”

That’s why I care about immigration.

Through my own family, I’ve seen the promise of America fulfilled. But I also see how that promise is at risk — because our immigration system is broken, and Congress has failed to fix it. It’s painful for me that this issue by which I define my American experience has become such a negative, controversial force in our politics.

Congress has failed for decades to pass comprehensive immigration reform because too many politicians have weaponized immigration policy for political gain without doing a thing to fix it. Even when bipartisan solutions emerge, they’re often derailed by political forces more interested in scoring points than solving problems.

Reasonable people should agree that violent criminals who are here illegally should be deported. But what’s happening now is far more chaotic. Parents who’ve lived here for years, send their kids to school with my kids, work six days a week and go to church on Sunday are living in fear.

We need to figure out a way for people who work, pay taxes and follow the rules to stop having to look over their shoulder. Families that have been here for decades deserve legal status so they can build lives for their children and grandchildren, like our family did.

We must secure the border, fix the broken asylum system, and create legal pathways for Dreamers, farm workers, TPS holders, essential workers in fields like health care and hospitality, and residents who’ve been here for over a decade.

Democrats and Republicans must come together. While President Trump has had remarkable success securing the border, he has done so through executive orders, which can easily be overturned. Real progress must come from Congress.

I’ll continue to do my part. I’ve worked toward comprehensive immigration reform as co-chair of the Democrats for Border Security Taskforce, as co-chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus, and through the bipartisan coalition I built of “business, badges and the Bible” — members of the business, law enforcement and religious communities who have longstanding stakes in American immigration policy.

I even wrote a letter to the president, asking him to work with me and make a deal on comprehensive reform. I’ve reached out, and I hope he reaches back.

We can uphold the law and our values. We can protect our borders and treat people with dignity. We can be safe and fair.

That’s the America my grandparents believed in when they arrived in this country. It’s the America I still believe in. And it’s the one we have to keep fighting for — together.

Tom Suozzi represents the 3rd Congressional District.