AJC Calls Immigration Bill Failure 'Disappointing'

NEW YORK, June 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Jewish Committee is disheartened by the Senate's failure to agree on comprehensive immigration reform legislation. "The Senate's failure to advance the immigration legislation only prolongs the national crisis in failing to deal humanely with the 12 million undocumented immigrants in our country," said Jeffrey Sinensky, AJC's director of domestic policy. The Senate bill included a number of positive elements in the areas of legalization and border enforcement, though other provisions, such as those negatively impacting asylum seekers, reducing slots for family reunification, and a problematic temporary worker program, gave AJC serious pause.

"The Senate bill could have been a positive first step towards enacting a law that strikes an appropriate balance between increasing security of our nation's borders and better incorporating newcomers into American society," said Richard T. Foltin, AJC's legislative director and counsel.

"Comprehensive immigration reform should not be abandoned, and we urge the Senate and House to work in the year ahead to craft a balanced and bipartisan bill that can begin to address the problems associated with our failed immigration system," Foltin said.

AJC, since its founding in 1906, has been a strong voice in support of immigration, long committed to fair and generous immigration policies as good for the United States and consistent with Jewish values.