Republican U.S. Rep. Mia Love, debates with Democrat Doug Owens at Salt Lake Community College's Karen Gail Miller Conference Center on Monday, Oct. 10, 2016, in Sandy, Utah. (Kristin Murphy/Deseret News via AP, Pool)
Mia Love on finding an immigration deal
02:55 - Source: CNN
Washington CNN  — 

When it comes to immigration talks, Republican Rep. Mia Love wants to be involved.

“I think we need to have people at the table who this is an important issue for them,” the Utah congresswoman told CNN’s Dana Bash ahead of the State of the Union address Tuesday. “I think, you know, with my experiences, just growing up and seeing my parents achieve the American dream, I should be at the table.”

Love, the first Haitian-American elected to Congress, noted that getting there is no easy feat.

“Well, it’s very difficult to get there. I’m tired of saying, ‘Hey, I’m here to help.’ … I know that the White House really wants to include me, they said, you know, ‘We want to get you there,’ but I think if we in the House and in the Senate … we don’t have to get the President’s OK in order to introduce legislation,” Love said.

Congress is working to come up with a deal on immigration, while the White House has provided its own plan as well.

Love recently called for President Donald Trump to apologize after he referred to various countries using vulgar language in a closed-door meeting on immigration, but the President denied making the remark.

Love also said she thinks “the more diverse the better” when it comes to those working on a plan.

“I’m concerned that when we say that we’re trying to make these policies good for everyone, I want everyone to feel included. I want everyone that has a family that’s struggling to make ends meet, that they’re part of the America that we’re talking about. And that means that we need to have a group of people that are diverse, that this issue is important to them being out there talking about it. Because, I can say, I am a proud product of my parents that came here,” she said.