Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV) became the latest member of Congress to call on President Obama to address his rate of deportations and stop the separation of families, when he spoke out at a public hearing on immigration policy and deportations on Monday in Las Vegas.
Horsford was joined by Reps. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) and Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX), two members of Congress who have also been outspoken on immigration reform and deportations. Around 200 people attended the hearing, according to the Las Vegas Sun, and the discussion covered immigration detention, deportation rates, detainee rights, and immigration reform.
Horsford called on Obama to use his “pen and phone” to stop the deportation of people who qualify for legislative immigration reform. As he said:
I place a high priority on immigration reform because it’s the right thing to do. I believe it’s the civil and human rights issue of our generation’s time, and when the record is written I want to be on the right side of history.
He also didn’t let House Republicans off the hook, calling out Speaker Boehner for holding up a vote on immigration reform even though such a vote would pass in the House:
We need one person out of the 435 members in Congress and that one person is Speaker Boehner. He is responsible to schedule a vote to allow the majority of the members of the House to do the will of the majority of Americans who believe it’s time to pass comprehensive immigration reform.
