CASTRO CHALLENGES IMMIGRATION REFORM STONEWALL, DEMANDS VOTE

Washington, D.C– Congressman Joaquin Castro (D-TX) released the following statement upon the House Democrats announcement of a Discharge Petition on H.R 15, the bipartisan Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act:

“Today, I’m proud to join my House colleagues in filing a discharge petition on immigration reform on behalf of the American people. Folks from all ends of the political spectrum, across industries and regions have demanded Congress to fix our broken immigration system. This procedural move is a way to allow the 20 or so Republicans who have publicly said that they support comprehensive reform to join with Democrats and get a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives. This discharge petition will allow all of us who support fixing our immigration system to challenge the inside-beltway politics that are preventing us from even taking a vote on this bill. 

Momentum for immigration reform is only going to grow and we should use every tool at our disposal to ensure the House has the chance to vote on this important legislation. Just yesterday, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office reaffirmed what we've known all along, immigration reform would slash our deficit by hundreds of billions of dollars and create jobs. The time is now to grow our economy and spur innovation, welcome folks out of the shadows, and ensure our borders are secure.”

House Democrats hold press conference in front of U.S. Capitol announcing discharge petition on H.R. 15

Background:
A discharge petition needs support from the majority of Congressional Representatives in order for a bill to be sent to the full U.S House for a vote. The number today is 218.  

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