Rep. Bill Foster Praises Passage Of Bipartisan Immigration Reform Bill In Senate

Statement

Today, Congressman Bill Foster (IL-11) released the following statement on the bipartisan Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013, which passed with a vote of 68-32 in the Senate:

"I am very pleased to see the strong bipartisan support in the Senate for passing a comprehensive package that includes a plan to secure our borders, a path to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants already in the country, and a more secure and efficient system for legal immigration.

"I am especially pleased to see that this plan includes an expedited path to citizenship for DREAMers and access to federal student aid, because we shouldn't be pushing away talented young students from the only home they have ever known. We should give them a chance to succeed.

"This is a historic step forward -- today's vote is the closest we have come in decades to passing comprehensive immigration reform. Now it's time for the House to act. I thank Senator Durbin for his leadership on this issue, and I look forward to working with Congressman Gutierrez and my colleagues in the House to take the next step in passing comprehensive immigration reform. The Senate vote today shows bipartisan compromise in our democracy working at its best. I urge both Democrats and Republicans in the House to follow their lead.

"The path to passing reform isn't simple, and the final plan will likely contain some painful compromises. But when we create a path to citizenship for our friends, our family and our neighbors -- who are good, law abiding members of society who just want to build better lives for themselves and their families -- we all benefit."

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