Rep. Salazar Responds to STRIVE Act

A Congressional measure aimed at reforming the country’s immigration system has drawn criticism from rights groups who say the resolution would criminalize undocumented immigrants and adversely affect low-income workers.

A few weeks ago, the Los Angeles-based Center for Human Rights & Constitutional Law released a critical report on the resolution, also known as the STRIVE Act, which is being sponsored by Reps. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.).

And now Colorado’s own Rep. John Salazar has released a statement regarding the measure, which he is currently co-sponsoring. The statement:

“I believe our top priorities when considering immigration reform should be the security of the American people and the security of U.S. borders.  It is also vital that we have a tamper-proof ID system, and a new-worker program to maintain a vibrant economy.  H.R. 1645 addresses these concerns.

“The STRIVE Act is only the first step in a long process of implementing comprehensive immigration reform.  I have and will continue to meet with all groups involved.  I will work to bring all interested parties to the table so that we can move forward together in finding a solution that addresses these complex issues.”

The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), which claims to be “the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States ,” is also supporting the STRIVE Act:

“We know this is not a perfect bill and that the devil is in the details, but NCLR and its coalition partners will work hard to ensure that any bill that becomes law is workable, fully protects all workers, and guarantees the civil rights and civil liberties of all Americans,” noted [NCLR President Janet Murgu

Erin Rosa was born in Spain and raised in Colorado Springs. She is a freelance writer currently living in Denver. Rosa's work has been featured in a variety of news outlets including the Huffington Post, Democracy Now!, and the Rocky Mountain Chronicle, an alternative-weekly in Northern Colorado where she worked as a columnist covering the state legislature. Rosa has received awards from the Society of Professional Journalists for her reporting on lobbying and woman's health issues. She was also tapped with a rare honorable mention award by the Newspaper Guild-CWA's David S. Barr Award in 2008--only the second such honor conferred in its nine-year history--for her investigative series covering the federal government's Supermax prison in the state. Rosa covers the labor community, corrections, immigration and government transparency matters. She can be reached at erosa@www.coloradoindependent.com.

Comments are closed.