Here is a copy of the press release from Senator Menendez’s office about his leadership role in immigration reform. Stay tuned for more information.
January 20, 2021/ 20 de enero de 2020
CONTACT/CONTACTO:
Menendez to Lead Biden-Harris Immigration Legislation in the Senate
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), who has spent decades fighting for immigrant rights and reforms to our nation’s broken immigration system, announced today that he will lead the legislative effort in the United States Senate and introduce the Biden-Harris Administration’s bold immigration bill to build a fair, humane and functional immigration system.
“The past four years have been traumatic for immigrant communities who have endured relentless attacks from the Trump Administration. Today, we turn the page on this dark chapter of our history and begin the hard work of repairing the damage and rebuilding a better union that reflects the values of our nation. As the son of Cuban immigrants and someone who has spent my adult life fighting for immigration reform, I am filled with hope to have President Biden and Vice President Harris as strong partners to advance a bold vision for immigration reform,” said Senator Menendez.
“This plan is not only about fixing our broken immigration system, but building a better one that reunites families, brings the undocumented community out of the shadows and on a path to citizenship, stands up for human rights, addresses root causes of migration, and includes a smart border security strategy. As I prepare this bill for introduction, I know all too well from my work with the ‘Gang of Eight’ that passing immigration reform through the United States Congress will be a challenging task. However, there is a moral and economic imperative to get this done.”
Menendez added, “History shows our nation is stronger and more prosperous when we embrace immigration and treat immigrants with the dignity and respect every human deserves. Immigrants will always be our country’s greatest believers in the American Dream. I have lived that dream – just as Vice President Harris has – and I look forward to working with her, President Biden, and their administration to build a 21st century immigration system that keeps the promise of this dream alive for generations to come.”
Sen. Menendez has been a life-long advocate for Latinos and immigrant families in New Jersey and across the nation, consistently calling immigration reform one of the few unresolved civil rights issues of our time. In 2018, he led the effort to protect displaced Venezuelans fleeing the dire conditions in their home country and to provide support to migration systems in the countries surrounding Venezuela. Sen. Menendez was also a member of the so-called “Gang of Six” that crafted a bipartisan DACA bill to provide Dreamers with a pathway to citizenship that garnered 54 votes in the Senate, after the President refused to support it.
In 2013, Sen. Menendez was also a member of the so-called “Gang of Eight” that passed bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform in 2013 by an overwhelming majority in the U.S. Senate, only to be blocked by Republican leaders from ever coming to a vote in the House of Representatives.