by As the Senate continues its debate on immigration reform, Sen. Bob Menendez joined Voto Latino‘s Maria Teresa Kumar for a digital town hall on Wednesday. The New Jersey Senator took questions from the public, and answered why he thinks it is of utmost importance to pass immigration reform.
The town hall was part of a push by immigrant advocates to use social media and technology to engage immigration reform supporters and pressure Congress to get a comprehensive bill passed.
During the town hall, Menendez called family reunification and a path to citizenship integral parts of the immigration reform bill and said that any amendments that did not support those provisions would be crossing the line.
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“There are members of the senate who will be offering amendments for example making it impossible for path to citizenship to be realized or further diminishing the opportunity for family reunification,” he said. “These are amendments that I will fully oppose,” said Menendez.
One of the most contentious aspects of the immigration debate has been border security. Many Republican Senators like Marco Rubio and Texas Senator John Cornyn have said their votes are contingent on much more stringent and tougher border security provisions. Senate Democrats and President Obama have taken issue with stricter border security measures, with President Obama saying that the bill will add an additional $6.5 billion to funding for enforcement. Approximately 81 percent of Latino voters — including Hispanics from all parties — disagree with securing the border first before offering a pathway to citizenship.
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When asked about border security, Menendez acknowledged that there will be “greater border enforcement than we already have.” He also said that should the legislation be passed, they will spend more on border enforcement than is spent on all other federal law enforcement agencies together.
On Thursday, the Senate voted down a Republican attempt to require the U.S.-Mexico border to be under control for six months before immigrants who are here illegally could take the first steps toward citizenship.
Menendez pushed for citizens to get involved in the reform process, saying that the average person has the power to impact the legislation.
“Keep voicing your opinions online,” he said, “We need to do everything we can to keep citizen participation engaged.”
You can watch his town hall in full below:
