Senator Moran Reveals True Colors with Vote Against Bipartisan Immigration Reform

Wichita, KS- Today, Senator Moran was in the minority of Senators opposing the passage of the Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act (S. 744). The bill cleared the Senate with a bipartisan majority of 68, including every Democrat and 14 Republicans.

Even with an amendment that will mean unprecedented build-up at the border, Senator Moran remained unwilling to support the reform package, revealing that he was never serious about immigration reform, and instead just wanted to stand in the way of millions of aspiring Americans getting on a path to citizenship.

Sunflower Community Action and other leading immigrant advocates have been fighting for a path to citizenship for 11 million aspiring Americans for years, and now is finally the time to pass a law that fixes our country’s broken immigration system once and for all. “This bill is not what we would have written, but a compromise. The bill includes a massive build-up at the Southern border and will cost American taxpayers billions. We believe that this is bad policy but understand that this was a compromise to garner support for reforming our broken immigration system from the Republicans, and we will work vigorously to change these provisions before this bill becomes law,” Sulma Arias, Executive Director Sunflower Community Action. “The path to citizenship—the heart of this bill—is largely intact and will provide relief for millions of immigrant families around the country.”

Even the recent Congressional Budget Office analysis gave a strong reason to support the bill, estimating that it would decrease the federal deficit by $175 billion over the next 10-year period. And it would be hugely beneficial for state and local economies. In a 20-year outlook, the CBO estimated that comprehensive immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship would further decrease the federal deficit by an additional $700 billion.

“Senator Moran will go down on the wrong side of history and his vote goes against the wishes of the majority of Kansans. He had the opportunity to lead the KS delegation and the Republican Party to be a more inclusive and welcoming of all people and instead he opted for business as usual. Over 72% of Kansans polled supported reform that included a pathway to citizenship,” states Dora Herrera, a leader with Sunflower Community Action.

Now the immigration debate moves to the House of Representatives, where Republicans under Speaker Boehner’s leadership must realize that the American people are on the side of reform and want to see Congress solve this problem. We hope they follow the lead of the 14 Republicans that voted for a comprehensive bill and find a way forward to make a pathway to citizenship for millions a reality.