WASHINGTON, DC - After House Democrats filed a discharge petition to force a vote on HR 15, Rocio Saenz, Executive Vice President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), issued the following statement:

More than nine months ago, the Senate passed a bipartisan commonsense immigration reform bill by a wide margin. Since then, roughly 300,000 people have been deported, tearing apart families, creating gaping holes in our communities and harming our economy.

"House Republicans have completely failed to act on this issue, and we believe that this discharge petition can be part of the solution. If the House Republican leadership will not bring immigration reform to the floor, House rules allow a majority to go over their heads and force a vote.

"Passing the discharge petition will obviously require the support of some Republicans. Several Republican members have said that they want the House to move forward on immigration reform and this is their chance to play a role in actually making that happen. This vote will also tell us exactly what side of the issue each member is on. Are they with the extremists in their caucus who want to block immigration reform at all costs, or are they with the millions of families who are suffering under our broken system? The real question is whether pro-reform Republicans can convince their leadership to act, and if they won't sign this petition, then what are they proposing to do? HR 15 deserves a vote and those who fail to sign the discharge petition will find themselves on the wrong side of history."

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