The Anti-Defamation League called the U.S. Senate’s vote to block action on the immigration reform bill “an enormous setback.”
“The failure to adopt immigration reform is an enormous setback for a nation of immigrants that owes its establishment, its growth and its development to the fact that immigrants have always felt welcome and protected and been given all of the equal opportunities America affords,” ADL national director Abraham Foxman said in a statement addressing Thursday’s vote. The bill fell 14 votes short of moving forward to a final vote.
ADL has advocated for comprehensive immigration reform that would increase border security while allowing for a path to citizenship for illegal aliens. Added Foxman, “It is important for all of us, including Congress, to stand strong against the divisive and sometimes xenophobic undertones of the public debate on this issue.”
