Organized Labor Thanks US Senators for Vote to Support Immigration Reform

ALBANY, NY (06/28/2013)(readMedia)-- Today, Senators Gillibrand and Schumer cast critical votes in support of historic immigration reform legislation which would guarantee a path to citizenship for millions of working families living within our borders. The bill received decisive support in the Senate with a bipartisan majority of 68-32, including every Democrat and 14 Republicans.

The Capital District Area Labor Federation (CDALF) and other colition partners in the immigration reform battle have been fighting to obtain a path to citizenship for 11 million aspiring Americans over many years, and now is finally the time to pass a law that fixes our country's broken immigration system once and for all.

This bill is not what we would have crafted or hold up as "ideal". The massive build-up at the Southern border will have serious ramifications for border communities and American taxpayers, and we will work vigorously to challenge these provisions as negotiations on the bill continue in the House. However, the path to citizenship - the heart of this bill - is largely intact and will provide relief for millions of immigrant families around the country.

CDALF President Mary Sullivan noted, "Working class people are fortunate to have strong advocates on Capitol Hill like Senator Schumer and Senator Gillibrand. Today's vote is a historic step towards meaningful immigration reform which will bring about a clear path to citizenship and help to ensure that all working people are afforded the basic labor protections which have built the economic success of this Nation."

A recent Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analysis shows that the bipartisan Senate bill would decrease the federal deficit by $175 billion over the next 10-year period, and that the bill would be of significant benefit for state and local economies. In a 20-year outlook, the CBO estimated that comprehensive immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship would further decrease the federal deficit another $700 billion by 2033.

Republicans in the House under Speaker Boehner's leadership must realize that the American people are on the side of reform and want to see Congress solve this problem. They must find a way to work together and develop a pathway to citizenship for millions of hard working people. Thanks to support from Senators like Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillbrand, along with their colleagues on both sides of the aisle, pressure is mounting on the House to take similarly decisive action and fix our broken immigration system.