Today, the Republican-controlled Senate failed to get the 60 votes needed to advance their efforts to pass dangerous anti-immigrant legislation that would have targeted cities with community trust policies and created a mandatory minimum sentence of five years for undocumented individuals who re-enter the U.S.

“These bills were just the latest example of Republicans scapegoating immigrants for their own political gain,” said PFAW Director of Latinos Vote! and Manager of Political Campaigns Lizet Ocampo. “These measures aimed to make communities less safe by harming public trust in local law enforcement and to undercut incarceration reform efforts, further hurting families and our society. Congressional Republicans seem to feel the need to show that they hate immigrants on the floors and halls of Congress again and again. In doing so, they’re making clear that there is not much difference between them and Donald Trump, and they are eager to be his right hand in demonizing immigrants and tearing Latino families apart.”  

PFAW Executive Vice President Marge Baker added, “Republicans have important legislative work to do right now, especially giving fair consideration to President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee. But instead of doing their Constitutionally-mandated jobs, Republican senators are playing politics with people’s lives considering partisan bills that would do great harm to communities around the country.”

People For the American Way is a progressive advocacy organization founded to fight right-wing extremism and defend constitutional values including free expression, religious liberty, equal justice under the law, and the right to meaningfully participate in our democracy.

###