Senate Democrats Propose Sensible Reform Plan, Republicans Say No Way
Washington, DC – Senate Democratic leaders yesterday released a centrist and serious immigration reform proposal. Much of the proposal draws on bipartisan negotiations that had been underway between Senators Schumer and Graham. They made a sincere invitation to Senate Republicans to join with them to get a comprehensive bill done this year. With Arizona and other states lining up to take matters into their own hands, the urgency could not be clearer.
So how have Senate Republicans responded? By saying no to legislation and yes to more of the same.
Senate Republicans have adopted a mantra of “border security first.” Of course, “border security first” has been the strategy of the U.S. government since 1993. Arguing that the solution to our broken immigration system is staying the course is as vacuous as it is ridiculous. What Republicans are really saying is that they are afraid to take on their nativist wing to enact bipartisan reform that would actually eliminate illegal immigration.
According to Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America’s Voice, “The only thing more consistent than the Republicans’ ‘border security first’ message is their hypocrisy on the issue. The GOP demands that Washington do more to solve the problem, then blocks Congress from enacting the real solution. It is long past time for Washington to enact comprehensive immigration reform that turns off the jobs magnet and turns unauthorized immigrants into legal taxpayers. These elements are essential to the goal of securing the border, and require Congress to act.
“Instead of acting in the nation’s best interests, Republicans in Washington seem more interested in repeating their vacuous ‘border security first’ talking point and standing by while states gear up to copy Arizona’s ugly new ‘show me your papers’ law. It’s time for Republicans to recognize that the status quo is not working and that the only way to end illegal immigration is to work with Democrats to pass comprehensive immigration reform.”
America’s Voice — Harnessing the power of American voices and American values to win common sense immigration reform.
http://www.americasvoiceonline.org
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