America’s Voice reacts to latest from the Senate on immigration reform
Washington, DC – The following is a statement from Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America’s Voice:
The movement to win citizenship for undocumented immigrants suffered a stinging setback today. But while we are disappointed and angry, we are not defeated.
It has been reported that the Senate Parliamentarian ruled against a registry proposal that would have put some 7 million undocumented immigrants on a path to citizenship. Evidently, anything that confers a change of status to Legal Permanent Resident (LPR) status is unacceptable to her.
We believe she got it wrong. But more importantly, we believe that in a democracy, it’s up to elected officials, not unelected staff attorneys, to decide the fate and future of millions. We call on our Democratic champions to explore every option, from a new plan to legalize millions to ways to sidestep the Parliamentarian’s advisory opinion.
Democrats are in the majority. They have the power to get this done. We beseech them to use every ounce of their power to deliver on their promise.