Washington, DC - In response to President Barack Obama's meeting with Republican Senators today to discuss how to move forward on immigration reform Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Executive Vice-President, Eliseo Medina released the following statement today:

President Obama's admirable effort to invite Republicans to the table on immigration reform is an encouraging step forward. But given the GOP's continued push for extreme, costly, and ineffective enforcement measures, we are not holding our breath.

"Despite the support of a small minority of wise Republican leaders like Senator Richard Lugar and former Florida governor Jeb Bush, the Republican Party has made clear that they are the party of "no"-- blocking real, workable immigration solutions at every turn.

"While President Obama and Democrats in Congress have repeatedly invited Republicans to the table to negotiate a compromise on this critical American issue, Republicans have refused to cross the aisle and work with Democrats to deliver the comprehensive immigration reform that a vast majority of Americans want. Former bi-partisan champions of comprehensive immigration reform, like Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham, have been cow-towed by the radical right-wing of their party. They have turned their backs on real reform in favor of extremist rhetoric and costly but ineffective policies that do nothing to actually fix our broken system.

"On the heels of Arizona's SB 1070, it is Republicans who have pushed for ineffective and costly copycat laws in 15 states across the country. And it is Republican candidates --from Marco Rubio in Florida to Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner in California--who continue to use immigrants as a political football to score cheap points with their extremist base.

"Today's meeting gave Republican leaders one last opportunity to show working families and immigrants that they are serious about solving one of our nation's toughest problems. The President opened the door for Republicans to come together with Democrats to create an immigration system that works. The choice is theirs. We need Republican leaders with the courage to put America's future ahead of the political expediency. We need Republican leaders who will unite us, not divide us. We need Republican leaders to prove that they are more than just the party of "no" and join us in the fight for the real immigration solutions that America needs."

SEIU - With 2.2 million members in Canada, the United States and Puerto Rico, SEIU is the fastest-growing union in the Americas. Focused on uniting workers in healthcare, public services and property services, SEIU members are winning better wages, healthcare and more secure jobs for our communities, while uniting their strength with their counterparts around the world to help ensure that workers--not just corporations and CEOs--benefit from today's global economy.

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