UnidosUS Condemns House Republicans’ Hardline Intransigence on Immigration

WASHINGTON, DC—Today, UnidosUS (formerly NCLR), the nation’s largest Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization, condemned the partisan and bad-faith vote in the House of Representatives on some of the year’s most restrictive immigration packages, which failed to pass. Their so-called “compromise” was a hardline bill in sheep’s clothing designed to ramp up excessive and abusive interior and border enforcement, gut our legal immigration system, and throw away $23 billion on an unnecessary border wall at a time when border crossings are at historic lows, while giving scant protection to Dreamers and leaving the humanitarian crisis at the border unresolved.

“This was much ado for nothing. Republican moderates gave up a bipartisan process for this failed mess and ended up with nothing to show for it. Rather than a bipartisan process and a serious vote on an immigration package, this was a sham dressed up as reform. House Republicans have had several chances to do right by Dreamers, who have overwhelming support from the American public, and stop the Administration’s barbaric separation and imprisonment of families at the border, but they can’t even muster the votes for a bill that backs basic human decency,” said Janet Murguía, UnidosUS President and CEO.

“Today’s vote confirms that Republicans’ sole interest is in hindering reasonable debate on immigration reform and blocking any path to a solution. What’s more, they’ve demonstrated an astounding and soulless willingness to use more than 700,000 DACA youths whose lives they’ve upended, and the pain and suffering of thousands of children and parents separated at the border, to stake out an extreme and unpopular stance on border and interior enforcement that few Americans can stomach. Americans say they want a humane and bipartisan solution. When will Congress’ leaders listen?” Murguía said.