Press Release

Gutierrez Statement on Senate Cloture Vote

WASHINGTON—U. S. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez issued the following statement on today’s Senate vote to proceed to consideration of S.1639, the bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform legislation.

“I’m pleased the Senate has decided on a path forward for comprehensive immigration reform. The American people want us to fix our broken immigration system. We must secure our borders. We must meet our economy’s needs and we must deal with the illegal population already living on American soil. The time to do so is now.

“In the past month we’ve heard from all sides. In addition to listening to Senators, I’ve reached out to America’s farmers, ranchers, small business owners, technology groups and religious leaders among others, and have listened intently to their viewpoints and ideas. President Bush has actively worked to build support. What’s crystal clear is that delay and inaction mean a broken system will continue.

“Ahead lies a vigorous debate on a series of amendments. I commend the Senators who voted to allow the Senate to debate and vote on amendments. I look forward to working with the Senate in the coming days on this important legislation.”