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Demand a Vote

March 28, 2014
Pelosi Update

Demand a Vote
This afternoon at the United Irish Cultural Center in the Richmond, I joined San Franciscans from all different backgrounds including faith leaders, community activists, law enforcement, and the business community to discuss the importance of comprehensive immigration reform. Here in San Francisco, we know that in our community our diversity is our power and our strength. Each wave of immigrants brings their hopes, their aspirations, their optimism, and their determination to succeed to our shores. With those uniquely American traits, each generation of immigrants makes America more American. We know that it is time to honor our history – to uphold our values of fairness, justice, equality, and opportunity for all. It is time to bring millions out of the shadows, to keep faith with our nation's best traditions, to open the door to anyone who wishes to live out the American Dream. It is time to demand a vote on comprehensive immigration reform.

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Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi joins with community leaders and constituents to discuss the importance of comprehensive immigration reform at the United Irish Cultural Center in the Richmond today.

The American people are tired of Speaker Boehner refusing to allow a vote on immigration reform legislation that will secure our borders, protect our workers, unite our families, and provide an earned pathway to citizenship. The American people are done waiting – and House Democrats are taking action to demand a vote on H.R. 15 – the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act – a bipartisan measure to fix our broken immigration system and ensure that our immigration system honors our history as a nation of immigrants and our values as Americans.

On Wednesday, Democrats unveiled a "Demand A Vote" discharge petition calling for immediate consideration of immigration reform on the House floor. With this sensible, bipartisan legislation, we can bring renewed energy into our economy, raise wages, empower our small businesses, spur innovation and create jobs. We must bring our broken immigration system in line with our history and our values — securing our borders, protecting our workers, uniting our families, and creating an earned pathway to citizenship. We can build a brighter future for our nation, grow the economy, and single handedly reduce the deficit. A report from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office shows that H.R. 15 would reduce the deficit by $900 billion over the next two decades – including $200 billion in the first decade alone. It is clear that immigration reform is not only the right thing to do, it is a necessary step we must take to protect our workforce and grow our economy. The time to pass comprehensive immigration with an earned pathway to citizenship is now.

Add your name to the list if you want to see the House of Representatives finally take action to fix our broken immigration system.

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Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, House Democratic Members, immigration leaders, and Actress America Ferrera gather at the Capitol steps to launch the #DemandAVote Petition on H.R. 15 – bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform legislation.