Today, some of Illinois’ best known Republicans are coming out to publicly support immigration reform and urge Congress to pass legislation in the House.
The Illinois Business Coalition is planning the event today, which will feature former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert, former Gov. Jim Edgar, former Gov. Jim Thompson and other Republicans.
Some planning to attend are seeking office, including Illinois gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner and state Sen. Jim Oberweis, who’s running for U.S. Senate. Several business executives will also be there, including those from Caterpillar and from Crate and Barrel.
Furthermore, two House GOPers representing Illinois — Reps. Aaron Schock and Adam Kinzinger — are speaking today about immigration reform that legalizes the 11 million. Schock first came out in favor of a path to citizenship last summer, while Kinzinger has said that he supports legal status.
In response to Schock and Kinzinger’s announcements today, Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA) welcomed the members’ words but invited them to take action by signing the discharge petition to bring HR 15 to the floor:
I am encouraged by the words of my colleagues from Illinois and I invite Representatives Schock and Kinzinger to sign the discharge petition to demand a vote on the bi-partisan bill (H.R. 15) to finally fix our broken immigration system. It’s long past time for the House to act on comprehensive immigration reform and every day that we delay, thousands of families are torn apart by our broken immigration system. It’s time to turn words into action. Together, we can secure our borders, unite families, reduce the deficit and grow our economy. I hope Speaker Boehner is listening to the growing number of Democrats and Republicans who support immigration reform. It’s time to vote.
Watch the videos from Reps. Schock and Kinzinger today: