CASA in Action Thanks U.S. Senators for Vote in Favor of Path to Citizenship

Overwhelming Vote for Immigration Bill Brings Separated Families One Step Closer to Relief.
 
Hyattsville, Maryland—CASA in Action, the largest immigrant rights organization in the Maryland/DC/Virginia region, applauded 68 Senators for moving forward the critical goal of family unity by approving the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act (S. 744).  In particular, CASA applauds the votes of our regional Senators, Barbara Mikulski and Ben Cardin of Maryland, and Mark Warner and Tim Kaine of Virginia.
CASA in Action and other leading immigrant advocates 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 has flaws. The massive build-up at the Southern border will have serious ramifications for border communities and American taxpayers.  More than 150 organizations backed Cardin 1294, an amendment supported by CASA that would have provided an opportunity for community service to be valued through the legislation that unfortunately was never permitted a vote.  CASA will continue to work to improve these and other provisions as the debate moves forward.  However, the path to citizenship—the provision most critical to CASA’s 40,000 members across Maryland and Virginia—is largely intact and will provide relief for millions of immigrant families around the country.
“We are in this battle until the end,” said Gustavo Torres, CASA in Action President.  “My organization has brought people to the Capitol since 2005 to demand commonsense immigration reform and since our mobilization of 100,000 people on April 10th of this year we have brought members to DC for more than 30 actions.  We will keep on coming until this bill is signed into law.”
As the debate moves squarely into the House, CASA will focus primarily on communicating to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor the research that passage of reform is the last chance for Republicans to ever again win the Presidency.
“Fourteen Republican Senators voted to solve our nation’s immigration crisis, “said Mr. Torres. “We will be working to make sure that the House does not leave them hanging.”