Despite repeated rumors of its demise, new bipartisan interest in passing immigration reform – headed by Hispanic members of the House – proves its prospects are alive and well

Washington, D.C. -- The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA), a coalition of the nation’s preeminent Latino organizations, applauded the actions of Republican and Democratic Members of the U.S. House of Representatives in recent days and weeks to keep the momentum moving toward passing immigration reform.

Speaker John Boehner’s remarks last week, that immigration reform remains an important subject for Congress to address, are the latest sign of support from a top-ranking elected official for action on immigration reform.

This follows the leadership taken by Latino lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to revive the push for immigration reform since the August recess. Last month, U.S. Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), David Valadao (R-CA), Henry Cuellar (D-TX), and Albio Sires (D-NJ) gave joint bipartisan support in the House of Representatives for passing immigration reform when they spoke at a press conference held by the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI). They outlined several key immigration reform principles on behalf of the organization – a first for CHLI – including a path to earned legalization for those who are undocumented.

A day later, U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) introduced comprehensive immigration reform legislation (HR 3163), along with U.S. Reps. Filemon Vela (D-TX) and Gene Green (D-TX). And in early October, U.S. Rep. Joe Garcia (D-FL) introduced another comprehensive immigration reform bill, H.R. 15, which has already garnered over 180 cosponsors, including most recently U.S. Reps Jeff Denham (R-CA), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), and David Valadao (R-CA).

“To paraphrase Mark Twain, the reports of immigration reform’s death are greatly exaggerated. Members of Congress in both parties are stepping forward. The leadership demonstrated by the bipartisan quartet of CHLI members and Congressmen Raúl Grijalva and Jose Garcia reflect the sentiments of Latino voters across the political spectrum who are demanding that Congress and the President enact immigration reform this year,” said Hector Sanchez, NHLA Chair and Executive Director of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement.

“Our nation has waited far too long for needed reform of our immigration system so that our policies and practices better reflect our national values and better serve our national interests. Latino voters have consistently demonstrated that they will hold candidates accountable for failing to act on this critical policy imperative; many political careers depend upon moving good reform legislation forward,” stated Thomas A. Saenz, President and General Counsel of MALDEF.

“Republican House leaders can revive their political pulse now by taking proactive steps to pass comprehensive immigration reform,” stated Brent Wilkes, LULAC National Executive Director and NHLA Vice Chair. “Failure to act could result in a permanent loss of support from Latino voters.”

“Agricultural employers and agricultural worker advocates agree on the urgent need to fix our broken immigration system and after extensive consideration reached agreement on policy changes that have the support of many members of Congress, in both Houses and in both parties. The time has come to address this urgent need responsibly by adopting the bipartisan agricultural stakeholder agreement and passing comprehensive immigration reform," said Bruce Goldstein, President, Farmworker Justice.

“Recent events, and in particular the gridlock in Congress, have distracted our nation from addressing one of the most critical issues that face us today,” said Miguel Alexander Pozo, HNBA National President. “While we grapple with the ever escalating national debt and other issues, we must remain mindful that fixing our broken immigration system is vital to our economy. Not only will comprehensive immigration reform bring millions of people out of the shadows but it will also allow corporate America to innovate once again by keeping in this country the best and the brightest legal minds. While we temporarily dropped the baton and lost momentum, the last couple of weeks have shown that members of Congress, on both sides of the aisle, are now willing to pick up the baton with new vigor and desire to finish the race towards the passage of immigration reform legislation. The HNBA calls on Congress to act quickly and decisively so that we can repair, once and for all, our broken immigration system and so that we can begin breathing new life into our economy.”

“The need for comprehensive, humane immigration reform certainly hasn't lessened, and neither has the momentum. Millions of Latinas across this country continue to make our voices heard for health, dignity, and justice for immigrant women and families, and we remain committed as ever to making that vision a reality,” said Jessica González-Rojas, Executive Director, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health.

“We are encouraged by the Congress’s introduction of immigration reform bills so Latino families can live with less stress, gain access to increased healthcare services and be more productive in our nation,” said Dr. Elena Rios, President & CEO, National Hispanic Medical Association.

“We remain optimistic that our nation’s leaders can act in the nation’s best interest by putting politics aside and working together to pass commonsense immigration reform in 2013,” stated Arturo Vargas, NALEO Educational Fund Executive Director. “Recognizing the positive role that immigrants are playing in communities across the country is not only the right thing for us to do, it is the smart thing to do. We call on the U.S. House of Representatives and President to work together to pass bipartisan immigration reform legislation that grows our economy and upholds the values of this great nation by including a path to citizenship and robust integration support for the millions of immigrants living in the shadows today.”

Earlier this year, NHLA launched Latinos United for Immigration Reform, a grassroots mobilization campaign which includes an online platform at LatinosUnited.org for the public to engage Members of Congress and over 70 town halls across the nation – 67 of which have already been held in 24 states and Puerto Rico, with 5 more scheduled in the coming weeks.

Established in 1991, the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA) brings together Hispanic leaders to establish policy priorities that address, and raise public awareness of, the major issues affecting the Latino community and the nation as a whole. For more information, please visit www.nationalhispanicleadership.org and LatinosUnited.org and follow @NHLAgenda.

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