by With just days until the Senate votes on their bipartisan immigration bill, New Jersey Democratic Senator Bob Menendez and immigration advocates held a Google+ Hangout to make one final push for reform today. The message from Senator Menendez was clear: “We are, I think, on the verge of passing historic, comprehensive immigration reform here in the Senate.”
The other participants included Anna Galland, Executive Director of MoveOn.org; Evelyn Rivera, Southeast Representative to United We Dream; and Maria Elena Durazo, Executive Secretary Treasurer of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations. The discussion was moderated by Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America’s Voice, which hosted the Google+ Hangout.
In the ten minutes Senator Menendez spoke with the panel, he went over the bill’s provisions for DREAMers and agriculture workers. He also stressed the importance of bipartisanship in forging the bill and in gaining a strong vote in both the House and the Senate.
“It’s not the ideal bill,” said Sen. Menendez, adding that the ideal would have been the bill he wrote. However, he noted that they didn’t “give up more than what was necessary,” to see success in the House. According to Menendez, the bill stays true to the core goals of reform.
“This is about the country’s security, yes. But it’s also about the country’s economy. It’s about its future, it’s about preserving family reunification,” he said.
His sentiments were shared by DREAMer, Evelyn Rivera, who has been an immigration activist for the last decade and says now is the time to take advantage of their momentum.
For Rivera, a personal victory is the Right to Reunite provision since the Colombian-born woman hasn’t seen her mom in over six years. “The last time I recently saw her, two weeks ago, was with a border fence between us,” said Rivera during the Google+ Hangout.
Rivera said that for those like her, “We’re looking forward to seeing [immigration reform] become a reality this year.”
