FOR RELEASE: April 17, 2013

CONTACT:  Stephanie Niedringhaus, 202-347-9797 x224, sniedringhaus@networklobby.org

Washington DC:  NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice lobby, today issued the following statement about the new immigration bill:

We are pleased that the highly anticipated immigration bill has been finally introduced in Congress, and we want to publicly thank the Senate’s bipartisan “Gang of Eight,” who are responsible (Sens. Charles Schumer, Lindsey Graham, John McCain, Jeff Flake, Dick Durbin, Marco Rubio, Bob Menendez and Michael Bennet.) It is extremely gratifying that they were able to come together to make this happen, especially at a time of such partisan rancor. We are grateful that they were able to remain focused on the task of addressing justice for our eleven million brothers and sisters who presently live in the shadows.

Family unity and diversity remain two key issues for NETWORK, and we intend to review the bill’s wording about these issues carefully. We look forward to working with Congress to ensure that the final version includes a reasonable roadmap to citizenship, reunification of families, and the added value of diversity in our nation.

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