Historic legislation provides a path to legalization and relief for 11 million undocumented immigrants

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION
June 27, 2013

Washington, D.C. -- The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA), a coalition of 36 of the nation’s preeminent Latino organizations, expressed its support for the Senate’s passage of comprehensive immigration reform legislation (S. 744) on a vote of 68-32 today while expressing concern that the bill’s punitive elements go further than necessary.

NHLA issued a letter to Senators urging a vote for passage and that the vote may be used for a scorecard that will grade Senators on their immigration reform record so that Hispanic and other voters have a clear picture of where their elected officials stand.

“Working together, Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Senate have taken an important step toward immigration policy that will allow the 11 million undocumented immigrants in our nation, including DREAMers and agricultural workers, to earn legal status and then citizenship,” said Hector Sanchez, NHLA Chair and Executive Director of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement. “This bill is far from perfect and contains provisions that we strongly opposed. However, I am encouraged that we have moved closer to the comprehensive immigration reform we so desperately need as a nation. I commend the Senators who supported this historic bill today, and I urge the House of Representatives to follow their lead.”

NHLA strongly supports S.744’s roadmap to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, including DREAM Act-eligible youth and agricultural workers, and many of the bill’s other reforms are significant and commendable. However, NHLA continues to be concerned about some provisions in the bill which excludes federal preemption and includes wasteful spending on arbitrary border fencing and excessive border security.

“In today’s historic vote, more than two thirds of the Senate voted in favor of comprehensive immigration reform that includes extending legal status to the majority of the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States with an opportunity to earn citizenship, the creation of more legal opportunities for future immigrants to come into the country, and shortened pathways to citizenship for DREAM students and agricultural workers,” stated Brent Wilkes, NHLA Vice Chair and National Executive Director of the League of United Latin American Citizens. “While not the perfect legislation, in many respects, the bill achieves much of what the Latino community has sought for 25 years.”

"Today's Senate vote is a critical step toward finally providing legal protection to the millions of immigrants who have contributed to our nation's development, raising families and contributing to our economy while lacking the security under the law enjoyed by others," stated Thomas A. Saenz, President and General Counsel of MALDEF. "However, the work is not done; the Latino community must remain engaged on the issue of immigration reform, striving to address the many flaws in the bill while preserving its critical protections, and working to secure final approval of the best possible immigration reform law for the nation."

“This is a momentous vote for our community and our country,” stated Janet Murguía, President and CEO, NCLR. “We salute the Senators in the gang of eight who never relented on moving forward a bill that puts us on the path to an immigration system that works for everyone.”

“Everyone agrees that the current immigration system is broken and HNBA commends the U.S. Senate for taking a critical first step towards addressing this challenge in a bipartisan way. Our current immigration law must be improved in order to be effective as well as reasonable, and we now strongly encourage the House to follow suit and move to quickly pass comprehensive immigration reform,” said Peter Reyes, President of the Hispanic National Bar Association.

“The Senate bill will allow many hard-working undocumented farmworkers and their children to earn legal immigration status and an opportunity for U.S. citizenship and will help stabilize the farm labor force into the future. The farmworker programs resulted from a hard-fought compromise among the United Farm Workers, major employer associations and a bipartisan group of Senators, and deserve to be enacted,” said Bruce Goldstein, President, Farmworker Justice, Washington, D.C.

“Today, the Senate took positive action and voted in favor of comprehensive immigration reform. This historic vote creates a path to citizenship for many deserving individuals including Dream students and agriculture workers and provides legal status to many individuals who believe in the greatness of this nation,” said Ignacio Salazar, President & CEO, SER-Jobs for Progress National, Inc. “They will help to further advance the future of this country and have proven themselves worthy of this opportunity. This new sense of belonging will spur a new sense of vitality in our communities that will result in an overall increase in the quality of life for so many.”

“We commend the U.S. Senate for passing comprehensive immigration reform legislation, particularly the eight Senators who spearheaded this crucial effort. By providing a roadmap to legal status and citizenship for millions of deserving immigrants, including those brought to the U.S. as minors who see themselves as Americans, the Senate shows the way for the House to pass similar legislation that the vast majority of Americans support. We need this legislation so DREAM students, agricultural workers, STEM professionals, and millions of other hard-working immigrants can have the opportunity to make major contributions to our economic and social advancement,” affirmed Antonio Flores, President and CEO of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities.

“With the Senate passage of a comprehensive immigration reform bill, the National Hispanic Medical Association is hopeful that we are closer to increasing the opportunity for many in our community to lead less stressful and healthier lives,” said Dr. Elena Rios, President & CEO of the National Hispanic Medical Association.

“The NALEO Educational Fund commends today’s historic bipartisan U.S. Senate vote that brings us one step closer to fixing our nation’s broken immigration system. This legislation could help us find a solution that strengthens American families, brings 11 million undocumented immigrants out of the shadows, and makes an unprecedented investment in the integration of new Americans,” stated Arturo Vargas executive director of NALEO Educational Fund. “Our country’s Latino elected officials stand ready to work with members of Congress to improve the bill so we can achieve meaningful immigration reform that is worthy of the American people and the contributions that immigrants and families play in the future growth and success of the nation.”

“We continue to be encouraged by the progress of immigration reform, and today’s vote in the Senate is an important step. In particular, we’d like to thank Senators Hirono, Boxer, and Murray for their tireless championing of women’s health and rights throughout this arduous process. However, we remain deeply concerned about the implications of the severe restrictions on health care in the Senate bill—under which women and families will be forced to wait 15 years or more to see a doctor. As the debate moves forward in the House of Representatives, we encourage lawmakers to consider these important concerns, so that reform allows aspiring citizens the opportunity to live with health and dignity, and fully contribute to our families, communities, and economy,” said Jessica González-Rojas, executive director of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health.

“We commend the Senate for passage of this bipartisan bill that constitutes a very significant step forward in efforts to fix our nation’s broken immigration system. By creating a pathway to legal status and citizenship, this bill will reduce the tremendous vulnerability to abuse and exploitation for millions of people who have long lived in the shadows. We also commend the Senate for including important protections for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and trafficking,” said Amy Sanchez, CEO of External Relations for Casa de Esperanza: National Latin@ Network for Healthy Families and Communities.

“Today's bill passage by the U.S. Senate is a monumental step forward in reforming our nation’s broken immigration system,” said USHCC President & CEO Javier Palomarez. “We are a country built by immigrants, and this bipartisan effort recognizes the degree to which immigrants contribute to our nation’s growth and the expansion of its economy.”

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 60 town halls across the nation – over 50 of which have already been held in 24 states and Puerto Rico, with more scheduled in the coming weeks.

The campaign also includes phone banks and dozens of meetings with congressional offices on Capitol Hill. All these efforts combined are expected to generate over 100,000 pro-immigration reform contacts directed at Congress.

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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FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

| Melody Gonzales | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | (202) 508-6917 |

| Brenda Arredondo | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | (915) 373-1483 |

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American GI Forum | ASPIRA Association, Inc. | Avance | Casa de Esperanza | Cuban American National Council | Farmworkers Justice | Hispanic Association of Colleges & Universities | Hispanic Federation | Hispanic National Bar Association | Labor Council for Latin American Advancement | Latino Justice PRLDEF | League of United Latin American Citizens | MANA, A National Latina Organization | Mexican American Legal Defense & Educational Fund | National Alliance of Latin American & Caribbean Communities | NALEO Educational Fund | National Association of Hispanic Federal Executives | National Association of Hispanic Publications | National Association of Latino Independent Producers | National Conference of Puerto Rican Women, Inc. | National Council of La Raza | National Hispana Leadership Institute | National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators | National Hispanic Council on Aging | National Hispanic Environmental Council | National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts | National Hispanic Media Coalition | National Hispanic Medical Association | National Institute for Latino Policy | National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health | National Puerto Rican Coalition, Inc. | SER – Jobs for Progress National, Inc. | United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce | United States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce | U.S. Hispanic Leadership Institute