CHC ON HOUSE SPRING LEGISLATIVE AGENDA

Washington, DC- Today, Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) Chairman Rubén Hinojosa (TX-15) released the following statement in response to Majority Leader Eric Cantor's announcement that immigration reform is not on the House legislative calendar for the spring. The news was made via a memo released Friday by Rep. Cantor's office to House Republicans.

"Yesterday, Speaker Boehner acknowledged that his House Republican colleagues are afraid to do immigration reform and today, the Majority Leader says there will be no reform this spring. What is going on? House Republicans continue to send mixed messages on this issue and worse yet, they are preventing Congress from doing its job.

There are 200 Republican and Democratic Members signed onto H.R. 15, the bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform bill, and 191 Members have signed the discharge petition to move H.R. 15 forward. Comprehensive immigration reform would create jobs and lower the deficit, and is supported by nearly every American sector.

It is past time for the Majority Leader to allow a vote on H.R. 15. The real issue at hand here is a refusal from the Majority Leader to let the House of Representatives work its will. We are confident the votes exist to pass H.R. 15, which would permanently fix our nation's broken immigration system."

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