Cardin on Immigration Reform: The House of Representatives Should Vote on the Senate-Passed Comprehensive Bill

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement in response to President Barack Obama’s speech to the nation on steps his administration will be taking on immigration.
"Comprehensive immigration reform is long overdue. No matter what side of this debate you are on, most of us agree that America’s immigration system is badly broken. What we need is a balanced immigration system that is fair. Border protection alone will not fix all the challenges facing our immigration system.

“My strong preference is that Congress sends the President a comprehensive immigration reform bill that he can sign into law. This would provide a more thorough and more permanent solution. I voted for, and the Senate passed, such a bill in June 2013 by a bipartisan vote of 68 to 32. Nearly 18 months later, the House of Representatives has refused to vote or even consider this legislation.

“Those who are unhappy with the President’s action need to direct their focus at the Speaker of the House. I implore him to allow the House of Representatives to vote on the Senate-passed comprehensive plan. We then can come together in a bipartisan way to reconcile our differences and truly fix our broken system.”