Horsford Joins Reform Advocates And Calls On Boehner To Bring Up Immigration Legislation

Today, Representative Steven Horsford (NV-4) joined immigration reform advocates in front of the Capitol and called on Speaker John Boehner to bring up comprehensive immigration reform legislation, stressing that the votes exist to pass a bill.

A transcript of Horsford's remarks is below:

"Thank you, good afternoon everybody!

I'm proud to be here standing with the Keep Our Families Together coalition, and I'm here to let you know that we will continue to fight until we pass comprehensive immigration reform. And it's time for Speaker Boehner to give us a vote.

I come from Nevada's 4th Congressional district. My district, and the constituents in my district, and districts across this country overwhelmingly support comprehensive immigration reform. Why? Because it's time to fix the broken system that's tearing families apart.

People like Melissa, and many others, who have had their family members placed in detention, or worse yet, deported because the immigration system is broken.

Now, we have the votes. The votes are here to pass a bill. There are nearly 200 House Democrats, and some 27 House Republicans who say they support comprehensive immigration reform. I am proud to be one of the five original co-sponsors of H.R. 15, the comprehensive immigration reform bill in the House. But we need the Speaker to schedule a vote to allow the majority of the members of the House to do the will of the majority of the American people who want to see immigration reform passed now.

Now, if you don't believe this is the social justice issue of our time, if you don't believe this is the civil rights issue of our time, if you don't think it's the right thing to do for 11 million undocumented individuals and their families, then maybe you will do it because it's good for the economy. It will help create jobs. It will actually improve our economy. It will help preserve and strengthen Medicare and Social Security. And it will keep families together.

So Speaker Boehner, on behalf of the majority of Americans, on behalf of Keep Families Together, we're respectfully asking you to schedule a vote on comprehensive immigration reform. This can get done now, but we need him to schedule a vote.

Now this is personal for me. I have constituents who have been affected by the broken immigration system, whether it's young DREAMers like Astrid Silva, who have come in and educated me on the impacts of the broken system. Or mothers, who have seen their spouses taken from their families and not be there for their children.

But I am also the son of immigrants. My mother is from Trinidad. And so this issue crosses many communities. We have African and Caribbean immigrants, we have Latino immigrants, we have Asian immigrants, all who want to see comprehensive immigration reform passed now.

I stand with you, and we will not give up the fight until comprehensive immigration reform is passed. There are supporters in the House; I'm proud to be among them. We are on the right side of history, and this will get done because it's the right thing to do. It's good for the economy, and it's going to keep our families together.

Thank you very much. Si, se puede."

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