WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Reps. Filemon Vela and Raúl Grijalva introduced the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security and Prosperity (CIR ASAP) Act of 2013, a bill closely mirroring the 2009 version introduced by Rep. Solomon Ortiz. Vela and Grijalva co-chair the Congressional Border Caucus.  A summary of the CIR ASAP bill is attached.

"Congress must act now to pass comprehensive immigration reform," said Congressman Vela.  "Congressman Grijalva and I are proud to introduce the first comprehensive immigration reform bill in the U.S. House of Representatives in the 113th Congress.  This bill provides a reasonable pathway to citizenship, invests in our ports of entry to enhance security and trade, and implements commonsense border security measures without conditioning legal residency status on border security triggers."  

“There are millions of American families waiting every day for better laws that will keep them together, provide their children with a better future, and help our economy," said Congressman Grijalva.  "The conversation they need Washington to have has been hijacked by a small group that has shown no interest in their welfare. We’re tired of hearing this is a question of triple-layer border fences and militarizing our neighborhoods for our own good. I ask my colleagues whether they’d want their own children to pass teams of armed soldiers on their way to school every day for the next decade. They should consider what they’re doing to our border communities and start negotiating fairly instead of treating this as a military exercise. It’s time for people to see there’s a more serious option on the table and for Congress to keep moving forward on immigration reform. This is not an issue that’s going away just because some people refuse to pay attention.”
 

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