Somos Independents (a national Latina-led political movement) believe that the introduction of a legal comprehensive bill that includes a pathway to citizenship is a big step forward. We must remember that the designated GOP Presidential candidate just last year was promising to veto the DREAM Act and encouraged self deportation. Thus, this is why we believe this bipartisan cooperation is a big step forward.
Shirl Mora James, a Civil Rights and Immigration Attorney who is also President of Somos Independents states:
This is a much needed step in the right direction for all our families who are aspiring Americans from across the world. We applaud the Gang of 8 U.S. Senators for their courage, foresight and their hard work which begins to address the much needed comprehensive immigration reform.
We look forward to reviewing the bill in its entirety as it relates to the Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013. We will be diligent in following all the immigration debates, proposed amendment changes and we will keep you updated as such.
It is our belief that our political leaders need to be prudent about this process. We are extremely dismayed and disappointed in the irresponsibility of Iowa Republican Representative Steve King’s xenophobic statements by attempting to use the Boston Marathon national tragedy to stop the forward progress in fixing the broken immigration system. For all King knows, this could be a home-grown domestic terrorist attack likened to the Oklahoma City Bombing or the Centennial Olympic Park Bombing.
The 2013 Legal immigration reform bill is a major step forward in securing our Nation because only after everyone is registered and documented will we know who is in our Nation and where we can find them. We know that once we fix the broken immigration system, and once we document all immigrants -- then they can feel safe to help law enforcement agencies to target criminal activity without the fear of deportation when they report suspicious activity to the law enforcement authorities. Therefore, bringing the immigrants out of the shadows will only strengthen our Nation’s security.