Washington, DC - Today, national Hispanic leaders met with Senate Democrats at the invitation of the Senate Democratic Hispanic Task Force (HTF). The group talked about the economic benefits of immigration reform and the need to continue pushing Republicans in the House to bring immigration reform up for a vote.
U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Chairman of the Senate Democratic Hispanic Task Force, U.S. Senator Mark Begich (D-Alaska), Chairman of the Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee, U.S. Senator Michael Bennet (D-Col.), U.S. Senator Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), hosted the meeting. Among the participants were Mr. Arturo Rodríguez, President of United Farm Workers of America, Mr. Gabriel Salguero, President of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition, Eliseo Medina, International Secretary-Treasurer of the Service Employees International Union, Brent Wilkes, National Executive Director of the League of United Latin American Citizens, Hector Sanchez, Chair of the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda, and Ms. Cristina Jiménez, Chair and Managing Director of United We Dream.
"I'm glad the Hispanic Task Force met again today to discuss how the Latino community remains a major force in the continued advocacy efforts for comprehensive immigration reform," said Senator Menendez. "I firmly support - and encourage - efforts by Latino leaders to promote long-overdue legislation that will fix a broken system once and for all by bringing millions out of the shadows and placing them on a clear pathway to earned citizenship. Given the vast contributions of immigrants to our nation and the proven economic benefits of reform, it is well past time that the House takes action to make the American dream a reality for millions."
"At today's roundtable, national Hispanic community leaders and Democratic senators discussed the clear consensus that immigration reform would strengthen our economy. Unfortunately, we are still waiting for the House Republicans to do their job on immigration, after the Senate passed a bipartisan, commonsense immigration bill in June," said Nevada Senator Harry Reid. "We need to send the President a bill that requires the 11 million undocumented immigrants who are in the U.S. to pass background checks, pay taxes, learn English, and register with the government in order to get on a path to citizenship. The Senate passed a bill that keeps families together, which is good from an economic standpoint and morally the right thing to do. I urge community leaders to continue pressing Republicans in the House to bring immigration reform up for a vote. Fixing our broken immigration system is the economically responsible thing to do."
"I thank the Hispanic leaders who came to today's meeting to highlight the important contributions immigrants make to our communities and the countless ways they make us a better country," said Begich. "I will continue to urge the House of Representatives to pass common sense reform like the Senate. Whether it's strengthening the border in the Southwest or making sure there are adequate worker visas for our seafood industry in Alaska, immigration reform is central to keeping our economy strong and helping America - a nation of immigrants - thrive."
Photos from this event can be found HERE
About the Senate Democratic Steering & Outreach Committee
The Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee facilitates an ongoing conversation between Senate Democrats and the American public. At the direction of the Chairman, the Committee seeks to inform, engage, and mobilize advocacy groups and constituencies to advance the policies and priorities of the Senate Democratic Caucus. The Committee is dedicated to ensuring that diverse communities have a voice within the Democratic Caucus on key issues facing our nation. The Committee is one of two Democratic Leadership Committees in the Senate. Senator Mark Begich (Alaska) serves as Chairman and Senator Jeanne Shaheen (New Hampshire) serves as Vice Chairman of the Committee.
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