Jonathan Adams

Senator Menendez Rightly Raises the Stakes of the Immigration Debate

Washington, DC – Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) delivered an important speech on the U.S. Senate floor yesterday, calling for reform to U.S. immigration policies and a renewed emphasis on protecting the constitutional rights of those improperly targeted by recent immigration raids.

In his speech, Senator Menendez said that “[t]he legitimate desire to get control over our borders has too often turned into a witch-hunt against Hispanic Americans and other people of color.” The Senator also highlighted the moral stakes of the immigration debate, saying that immigration policy is “more than a legal issue – it becomes a human rights issue, and it is our job to do all we can to secure our country while protecting the dignity of all human beings. If we fail to do so, not only do we blemish ourselves, but we lose the moral high ground to be a beacon of democracy and a leader in human rights around the world.”

Posted at 2:40 PM, Jun 12, 2008 in Immigration | Permalink | View Comments