KENNEDY RESPONSE TO BUSH’S CALL FOR COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM

Washington DC: Today in Mexico President Bush reiterated his call for comprehensive immigration reform and referred to Senator Kennedy as the legislator who “can get the job done.” Senator Kennedy issued the following statement in response, explaining his plan to move legislation forward in Congress:

“I share President Bush’s optimism that we can — and will—finally fix our broken immigration system and appreciate his words of support. The American people have heard a lot of talk about plans for reform and now it is time for action.

In my view, the quickest way to get this done is to start where we left off. We’ll need to make common sense changes to the legislation to reflect what we’ve learned over the past year. But like last year, we will pass a strong, bipartisan and comprehensive bill that strikes a fair balance between enforcement, security and a path to earned citizenship. That’s what governors, members of the religious community, Hispanic leaders, businesses and so many others are calling for. Americans have waited long enough for immigration reform; the time is right and the time is now.”

–Jill McCarthy