Yesterday, the Senate voted on a procedural motion to end debate on the Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2010. The motion to invoke cloture stopped an amendment which would have prevented the 2010 Census from going forward unless it asked about every respondent’s citizenship and immigration status. The divisive amendment was offered by Senators David Vitter (R-LA) and Bob Bennett (R-UT).
The following is a statement by Paco Fabián, Communications Director of America’s Voice:
“Despite vigorously lobbying his colleagues in the Senate to oppose cloture on the Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations bill so that his amendment could get a vote, Senator Vitter’s efforts to exclude immigrants from the Census failed. This comes as a relief to mainstream Americans who simply want to comply with the US Constitution and make the 2010 Census as inclusive and comprehensive as possible. Democrats in the Senate deserve credit for standing up to the extreme wing of the Republican party that continues to bring up immigration as a wedge strategy time and again to try to peel off support from conservative Democrats and moderate Republicans. The Vitter-Bennett amendment would have cost tens of millions of taxpayer dollars merely to appease their narrow political objections. The anti-immigrant crowd will raise any tax and impose any cost on the taxpayer to achieve their wild political agenda. Thankfully, the Senate saved the taxpayers millions by closing debate and moving forward with a final vote on this important appropriations bill.
“What our country needs is a comprehensive solution to our broken immigration system, and until that happens, immigration will be used time and again as a stumbling block for every piece of legislation that Congress debates. The urgency is clear, as is the divisive strategy that immigration opponents will use. If we want to fix the serious problems that face our nation, we need to fix our immigration system.”
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