The Senate today approved an immigration reform bill by a vote of 68-32. The legislation had been pushed by Arizona senators Jeff Flake and John McCain.
The Gang of 8 had hoped to earn 70 votes for their bill, which essentially grants amnesty to people from across the globe, who are in the country illegally.
The legislation will now head to the House.
“The United States Senate delivered for the American people, bringing us a critical step closer to fixing our broken immigration system once and for all,” President Obama said in a statement. He added: “Today, the Senate did its job. It’s now up to the House to do the same.”
Flake told his constituents in a Facebook post: “I am pleased to support the passage of the Senate immigration reform bill. While neither side of the aisle got everything it wanted, the bill goes a long way toward securing our borders, modernizes our legal immigration system, spurs economic growth and provides a tough-but-fair solution to those here illegally. Now, it’s time for the House to act.”
Within less than one hour after his post, his page was full of comments from his “friends” calling for a recall of the newly elected senator, who had run as a supporter of border security.
Border security has been the issue for Arizonans, and others from border states.
Progressive Arizona Representative Raul Grijalva applauded the work of the Gang of 8, but said he was “disappointed in the Corker-Hoeven amendment, that will lead to overspending on ineffective border security measures.” Grijalva, who has fought for open borders said he did not support the “excess, overreach, overreaction, and wasting taxpayer money,” called for by the Corker-Hoeven amendment. “I reject the idea that it’s the only way to make this country safe,” Grijalva said.
House Speaker John Boehner, who says both chambers should act on immigration, will not put the legislation to a vote. He said, shortly after the Senate’s vote that he will put forth legislation that focuses on border security.
Pat Sexton, president of the Tucson chapter of the Arizona Latino Republican Association said she felt “betrayed, completely betrayed” by the Arizona senators. She told popular radio host, James T. Harris, that “Jeff Flake and John McCain, and especially Marco Rubio have just slapped all of us who came here legally in the face. They told us that we weren’t worth the same as people who came here illegally.”
Sexton said that she had “lost all respect for these politicians pander to Latinos.” She said she had had high hopes for “the son of an immigrant. I believed him.” She said she fears that the House “come up with some kind of compromise and slap legal immigrants in the face once again.”