Following the special election victory of Senator Scott Brown in Massachusetts last night, SEIU Executive Vice President Eliseo Medina issued the following statement on continued prospects for passing comprehensive immigration reform in 2010:
"On behalf of its 2.2 million members, SEIU are fully committed to passing comprehensive immigration reform in this session of Congress. Yesterday, we lost one vote that will make our job more difficult--but not impossible.
"We never thought of immigration reform as a partisan issue--we always knew we would need the support of both parties in order to pass comprehensive legislation. Our entire campaign has been geared up to secure the 279 votes we need to win, and we will keep working to accomplish that--including meeting with Senator Brown to discuss how critical immigration reform is for our country.
"In coming months, SEIU members will continue to meet with members of Congress--Democrats and Republicans alike--to discuss why immigration reform makes sense for America and for all American workers.
"The bottom line is that without comprehensive immigration reform, all working people face lower pay and benefits when hard-working, tax-paying workers are forced to live in the shadows, driven into the underground economy because of their legal status.
"We have said before and will reiterate today--we need immigration reform and we are committed to continuing our fight to win fair, humane, and smart immigration reform this year. We know it will be tough issue. We expect that and we--along with a broad coalition of labor, faith, business, and immigrant rights partner--are ready for it.
"It is not a matter of whether we pass immigration reform; it is just a matter of when. We have a window of opportunity in the next 100 days. We must not squander it."
