From Senate Majority Leader, a Promise to Take Up Immigration Overhaul
By Julia Preston
The New York Times
4/10/2010
The Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, told an exuberant crowd at an immigration rally Saturday in Las Vegas that Congress would start work on an immigration overhaul as soon as lawmakers return this week from a recess.
“We’re going to come back, we’re going to have comprehensive immigration reform now,” he said in a speech to more than 6,000 people, mostly immigrants, gathered downtown.
“We need to do this this year,” Mr. Reid said, drawing cheers from the crowd, which included many Latinos. “We cannot wait.” …
…“We’re going to pass immigration reform, just as we passed health care reform,” Mr. Reid said in a five-minute speech. Latino voters, who strongly support an overhaul, were crucial to President Obama’s upset victory in the state in 2008.
The rally was the largest among demonstrations Saturday in seven cities nationwide, with immigrants pressing Congress and the administration to pass an overhaul bill this year…
…Mr. Reid told the crowd that he believes he has 56 votes in the Senate in support of the immigration legislation. “We need a handful of Republicans,” he said, calling on immigrant groups to help mobilize support among them for the overhaul…
Read the entire article at the New York Times.
