Schakowsky Statement on Senate Immigration Bill

June 28, 2007
Press Release
For Immediate Release:
June 28,2007		Contact: Peter Karafotas
(202) 226-6898

SCHAKOWSKY STATEMENT ON SENATE IMMIGRATION BILL

Washington, D.C.–U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) released the following statement today after the Senate failed to end debate and advance immigration reform legislation for a final vote. The Senate measure, which failed by a vote of 46 to 53, fell 14 votes short of the 60 that are needed to advance the bill.

"I am very disappointed that the Senate Republicans decided to filibuster the immigration reform bill today. Instead of addressing our nation's dysfunctional immigration system, Senate Republicans voted in support of the status quo, which leaves over 12 million undocumented immigrants in the dark and fearing deportation, and allows our porous borders to remain insecure.

This is also a huge setback for thousands of residents in my district who are desperate for comprehensive immigration reform that would allow them to come out of the shadows to become full and active participants in our society. Over the past few weeks, hundreds of my constituents have traveled to Washington to beg Congress to pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill. Instead of hearing their pleas, the President and the Senate Republicans let them down by taking away their chance to achieve the American Dream.

Today's vote in the Senate is a direct result of the President's failed leadership. The President repeatedly promised the American people that he would pass a strong, bipartisan immigration reform bill. The President's inability to muster the requisite 60 votes, let alone a simple majority, just shows how ineffective and incompetent the President is on this issue and on a wide range of other issues, including Iraq.

While the Senate's immigration bill was far from perfect, it provided us with a starting point to address this critical issue. We are now faced with the real possibility that the problems with our immigration system and border security will not be dealt with until after the 2008 election. This is completely unacceptable and the American people demand that Congress and the President work together to solve this critical issue immediately."