Causa Applauds Oregon Senators Merkley and Wyden for Votes in Favor of Path to Citizenship

Causa Applauds Oregon Senators Wyden and Merkley for Votes in Favor of Path to Citizenship

Senate Immigration Bill Passes with Bipartisan Support, One Step Closer to Fixing Broken System

Salem, Oregon -- Today, Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley cast critical votes to pass historic immigration reform legislation. The bill cleared the Senate with a bipartisan majority of 68-32.

Luis Guerra, Causa Oregon’s Executive Director issued the following statement in response to today’s historic bipartisan vote in the U.S.Senate:

“We want to thank both Senator Jeff Merkley and Senator Ron Wyden for their votes today and their strong support for Immigration Reform with a path to citizenship. We are grateful that both of  these Senators have continually taken a stand on important issues that impact immigrant and Latino communities in Oregon. Today’s vote is a great victory to our movement.

Causa along with advocates both in Oregon and nationwide have been fighting for a path to citizenship for 11 million aspiring Americans for 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 far from perfect and includes provisions we would not have included. The massive build-up at the Southern border, for one, will have serious ramifications for border communities and American taxpayers and we will work vigorously to change these provisions before this bill becomes law. The reality is the path to citizenship—the heart of this bill—is largely intact and will provide relief for millions of immigrant families around the country.

The recent Congressional Budget Office analysis released last week shows that the bipartisan Senate bill would decrease the federal deficit by $175 billion over the next 10-year period. And it would be hugely beneficial 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 by another $700 billion by 2033.

Republicans in the House under Speaker Boehner’s leadership like Oregon Congressman Greg Walden must realize that the American people are on the side of reform and want to see Congress solve this problem now. They must find a way forward to make a pathway to citizenship for millions a reality. Thanks to support from Senators like Ron Wyden, Jeff Merkley and their colleagues on both sides of the aisle, there is now even more pressure on the House to get on board and fix our broken immigration system, once and for all.

Oregonians want immigration reform, Oregonians voted last November for immigration reform.  It is time for Congress to pass immigration reform.”  

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Causa, Oregon's Statewide Immigrant Rights Organization, is a partner in the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM) Coalition and the largest Latina and Latino civil and human rights and advocacy organization in the Pacific Northwest. We work to defend and advance immigrant rights through coordination with local, state, and national coalitions and allies. For more information, visit www.causaoregon.org