A third House Republican has signed on to the Democratic-led immigration reform bill, clearly showing the bipartisan support for this important issue.
There is significant bipartisan support for comprehensive immigration reform. The Senate proved that in June when an overwhelming majority voted to pass the bipartisan “Gang of Eight” bill, and it’s being shown again now in the House.
One after another, House Republicans are coming out publicly in support of H.R. 15., a comprehensive immigration reform bill introduced by House Democrats in early October. This week, three GOP members of Congress have signed on to the bill, which combines the Senate Judiciary Committee bill with a bipartisan border security bill passed by the House Homeland Security Committee.
Rep. David Valadao of California was the latest to sign on, joining Rep. Jeff Denham and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen from earlier in the week. There are currently 190 co-sponsors of the bill.
“By supporting H.R. 15 I am strengthening my message: Addressing immigration reform in the House cannot wait,” Valadao said in a statement. “I am serious about making real progress and will remain committed to doing whatever it takes to repair our broken immigration system.”
There are now at least 28 Republicans in the House that have publicly announced their support for immigration reform. We clearly have the votes in the House to pass immigration reform this year, we just need to bring the bill to the floor for a vote.
It’s time for all of us to do our part and to reach out to our elected officials and ask that they join Rep. Denham and Rep. Ros-Lehtinen in supporting the immigration reform bill brought forward by House Democrats, so that we can move forward on a vote before the end of the year. For many Long Islanders, that means reaching out to Rep. Peter King and letting him know that our communities need comprehensive immigration reform that works for all Long Islanders, immigrant and native alike.
