Latino Daily News
Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) said Wednesday that comprehensive immigration reform has the support of dozens of members of the Republican majority in the House of Representatives.
Among GOP backers of comprehensive reform he cited Wisconsin’s Paul Ryan, the 2012 Republican candidate for vice president.
Gutierrez said 195 of the 201 Democrats in the House would vote for a reform bill similar to the one passed last month by the Senate, meaning that fewer than two dozen Republican votes would be needed to reach the magic number of 218 required to pass it.
He made his remarks at the presentation of the “Immigration Reform Summer” campaign pushed by the Alliance for Citizenship and which will include more than 360 events in more than 50 congressional districts nationwide.
The aim of the campaign is to keep up the pressure on Republican congressmen regarding the issue of immigration reform during the August recess.
“We’re going to remember August as a month fundamental for immigration reform,” Gutierrez said.
Activities will focus on those electoral districts represented by reluctant lawmakers or those who have not expressed their support for the reform and they will include excursions, visits to congressmen, meetings, open air activities and ads in Hispanic media.
“Speaker (John) Boehner and Republicans in the House are in for a big surprise this August recess. The broadest, most diverse coalition in America are ready to welcome them home,” Eliseo Medina, International Secretary-Treasurer of the Service Employees International Union, said at Wednesday’s event.
“From civic engagement activities, phone-banking and participating in town halls to continuing our ad campaign and rallying in the corners of their districts, we will be pounding the drums for immigration reform,” he said.
Immigration reform in September will face a period that will be decisive for its prospective approval before the end of the year.
