Schakowsky 'Thrilled' Rigo Padilla Granted Reprieve; Calls for Immigration Reform Now

WASHINGTON, DC (December 10, 2009) -- Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-IL, released the following statement following the announcement by the Department of Homeland Security that Rigo Padilla will be permitted to stay in the United States on a year-to-year basis and will be provided with a work permit. Rep. Schakowsky has been intimately involved with Rigo's case as well as the fight for immigration reform. Last week she introduced a private bill in the U.S. House on behalf of Mr. Padilla that is credited as the reason DHS stayed the deportation.

"The Department of Homeland Security has decided that Rigo Padilla will not be deported next week and I am thrilled that we won our fight to keep him home. Unfortunately, Rigo's saga illustrates the plight of so many like him who love this country, consider themselves Americans in every way, yet are forced to live in the shadows. We cannot resolve the thousands of heartbreaking cases one-by-one. Rigo's ordeal underscores the need to fix the broken immigration system in a comprehensive way, and I believe that we cannot wait any longer to do so. Every day we go without reform, we deprive our country of talented students, strong leaders and hard working people who come here from around the world with the simple dream of a better life for themselves and their families....