This Week in Immigration Reform – Week Ending March 28

Week Ending March 28, 2014

This week in immigration reform: House Democrats release a “Demand a Vote” petition, seeking to pressure House Republican leadership into giving the country a vote immigration reform; the Congressional Budget Office scores the House bipartisan immigration reform bill HR 15 and finds that it will cut the deficit by $900 billion over 20 years; and a new poll finds that Texas Republicans have no electoral consequences to fear if they were to vote in favor of immigration reform.  NCLR kept the community informed in a number of news pieces this week, with staff quoted in the Associated Press, Fox News Latino, BuzzFeed, El Diario, Hispanically Speaking News, and the Miami Herald.

–House Democrats release discharge petition in attempt to advance immigration reform.  House Democrats, seeking to break through House Republicans’ refusal to give America a vote on immigration reform, released a discharge petition this Wednesday in an attempt to force a vote on their immigration reform bill HR 15.  NCLR applauded the move and called out House Republican leadership as being the foremost roadblock to immigration reform.

The petition would need 218 signatures to bring HR 15 to a vote on the House floor.  You can check here to see if your Representative has signed the petition.

NCLR is telling House Republican leadership that they need to put reform legislation up for a vote.  Join us by using our Twitter tool here!

–CBO scores HR15, finds it will cut deficit by $900 billion over 20 years.   This week the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reported that the House bipartisan immigration reform bill, HR 15, would cut the deficit by $900 billion over 20 years.  The CBO’s findings confirm, yet again, that passing immigration reform is a no-brainer.  As La Opinion, the largest Spanish language newspaper in the U.S., points out in its editorial: “The CBO, with its independent analysis, is showing a path to cutting federal spending and improving the economy. Not taking it into account reflects irresponsibility when it comes to seeking solutions to economic challenges.”

–Poll finds that voting in favor of reform wouldn’t hurt Texas Reps.  A new poll, commissioned by the Partnership for a New American Economy, finds that for three Texas Congressmen – Reps. Sam Johnson R-Texas), Lamar Smith (R-Texas), and Kevin Brady (R-Texas) – voting in favor of immigration reform wouldn’t hurt their approval among likely voters.  These results debunk certain Republicans’ claims that passing immigration reform would hurt their electoral fortunes in November.