NALEO Calls on Boehner, House Leadership to Move Immigration Reform Forward

The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund issued the following statement on comprehensive immigration reform legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives:

“NALEO Educational Fund is deeply troubled by the lack of meaningful movement on comprehensive immigration reform legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives in recent weeks.  With each legislative day that passes, the ability for Speaker Boehner and the U.S. House of Representatives to act in our nation’s best interest by making comprehensive immigration reform a reality in 2013 becomes more difficult.

“Our nation has suffered as a result of our broken immigration reform system for far too long.  It is time for Speaker Boehner to act on his assertion that comprehensive reform is ‘long overdue’ by working with Republican leadership and members across the aisle to pass immigration reform legislation that would unite American families, strengthen borders and boost our economy. 

“The U.S. House of Representatives has an unprecedented opportunity to strengthen our democracy by passing meaningful immigration reform legislation that also promotes the full integration of newcomers in our nation’s civic life.  A broad coalition of leaders from a diverse array of sectors—from law enforcement to business to the faith community—support the U.S. House of Representatives taking immediate action to bring comprehensive bipartisan legislation that would finally fix the nation’s immigration system once and for all to a vote.

“We urge Speaker Boehner and the U.S. House of Representatives leadership to demonstrate their commitment to this critical issue by passing bipartisan immigration reform legislation that grows our economy and upholds the values of this great nation by including a path to citizenship and robust integration support for the millions of immigrants living in the shadows today.  We will continue to closely monitor legislative movement on this issue in the coming days and will hold the U.S. House of Representatives leadership accountable in 2014 if a permanent solution to our nation’s broken immigration system is not in place by year’s end.”

Published in Latino Daily News