Grassley: Senate Missed Real Opportunity to Provide Path to Citizenship for 1.8 Million Undocumented Immigrants, Secure Border
WASHINGTON – Senate
Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley today made the following statement
after the Senate failed to pass the legislation to provide legal status for
immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children. The Secure
and Succeed Act, the only proposal to be supported by the White House,
would have also provided for additional border security and included the four
key immigration pillars agreed to at a bipartisan, bicameral meeting of
lawmakers and the President.
“Today is a sad day for many Americans and for many dreamers who would have had a rare pathway to citizenship. We had the opportunity to pass a bill that would have provided legal certainty for 1.8 million individuals. It would have secured the border and focused enforcement on the very worst criminals, like sex offenders, human rights violators and war criminals. And importantly, it had the President’s support and could have actually become law. It was the only immigration proposal that met the four key pillars agreed to by a bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers and the President. For these reasons, the Secure and Succeed Act was the right framework, which Senators would have been able to amend. It’s unfortunate that so many of my colleagues, when given the chance to finally give citizenship to DACA kids, refused to do so,” Grassley said.
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