Immigration Reform Clears Major Hurdle
Will It Reach the Finish Line?

WASHINGTON — In a historic vote presided over by Vice President Biden, the Senate today voted 68-32 to pass S. 744, the bipartisan immigration reform bill. The measure underwent a vigorous markup and amendment process. Below is a statement from Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center:

“After more than two decades of prodding and education on the issue, the Senate finally has recognized that our immigration system is broken and has voted to create a road to citizenship for millions, including members of our families and other integral members of our society. Latinos, Asian Americans, immigrants, and friends of immigrants across the country marched in the streets and to voting booths to demand that we be recognized for who we are: a vital component of the fabric of this country.

“Over the last week, this bill — an already bipartisan framework for our immigration system — took an expensive and unnecessary turn to the right. Our strong fiscal, moral, and societal reservations have already been made clear. Of deeper concern is that the House of Representatives has dismissed this overly harsh bill as not ‘strong’ enough.

“Make no mistake: Proposals from the House to spread the spirit and provisions of S.B. 1070, Arizona’s noxious racial profiling law, across the country or to implement the error-ridden E-Verify program without putting due process protections in place for workers will be rejected by advocates and voters.

“We will fight hard to keep the Senate’s direct road to citizenship for DREAMers, to protect due process rights for the most vulnerable members of our immigrant communities, and to ensure that workers who exercise their labor rights are not deported for their actions.”

“We will continue to advocate for policies that ensure that all families, regardless of income level, have the tools they need to contribute fully to our society. If necessary, we will consider opposing legislation that prevents these families from reaching the first rung on the ladder of opportunity. In the rush to score a political win on immigration reform, we must not create policies and exclusions that push working families deeper into poverty. For too many of our working families, the stakes are simply too high.”

NILC’s analysis of S. 744 is available at www.nilc.org/irsenate2013.html#analysis.

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Immigration Reform Clears Major Hurdle Will It Reach the Finish Line?

Immigration Reform Clears Major Hurdle
Will It Reach the Finish Line?