This Week in Immigration Reform – Week Ending October 18
Week Ending October 18
This week in immigration reform: with the shutdown finally resolved and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle eager to pick up where they left off, the time to get immigration reform through the House has come; NCLR finds that more than 100 editorial boards across the country have urged Congress to pass immigration reform legislation this year; and NCLR hosts a business roundtable on immigration reform in Colorado. NCLR staff kept the community informed as always this week, with staff quoted in stories in Univision, Washington Hispanic, and Latinos Post.
- Shutdown, debt ceiling crisis over; President and Congress turn to immigration reform. The shutdown is over, the debt ceiling has been extended, and political leaders of all stripes are calling on Congress to get to work on immigration reform legislation: clearly, it’s time for the House to get to work on immigration reform.
Even before the shutdown and debt-ceiling impasse had been officially resolved, President Obama told reporters that he planned to move immediately to pushing for immigration reform once Congress settled its fiscal disputes. “There are things that we know will help strengthen our economy that we could get done before this year is out,” the President stated. “We still need to pass a law to fix our broken immigration system.”
President Obama’s impatience to pass immigration reform was echoed by a bipartisan pair of Nevada lawmakers on Wednesday night. Rep. Steve Amodei (R-NV-1) told the Las Vegas Sun on Oct. 16th that the House needed to pass an immigration bill to restore its credibility, in the light of the shutdown debacle. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) expressed his eagerness to see immigration reform passed, noting that if people are concerned about the federal deficit they should get to work on immigration reform – which, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has calculated, would slash the federal deficit by $800 billion over the next two decades.
House Democrats have already offered their own reform bill that has garnered 182 cosponsors, and at least 26 House Republicans have spoken out in favor of immigration reform that includes a road to citizenship. We know that more than 182 Democrats support reform. Now, it’s time for those 26 Republicans to sign on to the bill offered by House Democrats or to figure out another way forward to get immigration reform moving in the House of Representatives.
- NCLR finds more than 100 editorial boards in support of reform. Over the past several months more than 100 editorial boards across the nation have called on Congress to pass immigration reform legislation. From small towns in Texas, to Memphis, Tennessee, to the heartland in Ohio, to Orlando, Florida, our newspaper editors agree: immigration reform is good for America, and Congress needs to get to work immediately on passing immigration reform.
Share this graphic on Facebook, and check out the complete map of editorial boards in support of reform here.
- Janet Murguía addresses City Club, talks immigration reform: NCLR’s Janet Murguía spoke at the City Club of Cleveland – a highly regarded institution that is also the oldest continuous independent free speech forum in the country – on Oct. 11, discussing NCLR’s work for the Latino community, civil rights, and immigration reform. Murguía characterized immigration reform as NCLR’s “one overarching goal,” surveyed the myriad economic benefits that passing reform will bring, and reminded the audience that passing immigration reform is critical to both national parties’ long-term prospects.
- NCLR and Affiliates in action.
Colorado: The NCLR Action Fund hosted a business roundtable on immigration reform on Oct. 17th. A panel of four small business owners, the Vice President of Public Affairs from the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, and Action Fund organizer Jesus Altamirano discussed the need for reform from a business perspective.
NCLR Affiliates: To share your recent meetings on immigration with your members of Congress, please fill out the report-back form on our website.