EXCLUSIVE TO NUESTRAVOICE.COM

On Friday Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid participated in an e-terview with Nuestravoice.com. The Majority Leader provided responses to all of our questions and they are presented here in their entirety.

NUESTRAVOICE.COM: You have announced that you will undertake immigration reform as a priority during this congress. Why do you see immigration reform as a top priority?

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid: “Democrats are committed to fixing our nation’s broken immigration system which is why we included it as one of the top ten bills that the Senate will take up in the 110th Congress. It is an urgent issue that our nation needs resolved. I believe the only way to have real security at our borders is to enact comprehensive immigration reform that is tough, smart, practical and fair. We must focus our limited resources on people who cross the borders to do us harm, instead of those who only seek to put food on their family’s table.”

NUESTRAVOICE.COM: What standards or thresholds do you believe undocumented immigrants should face to attain legalized status?

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid: “Undocumented immigrants who pass a criminal background check, pay fines, learn English and go to the back of the line should be able to earn their way onto the pathway to citizenship.

“Another essential component of any meaningful immigration reform is the reunification of families through the clearing out some of the very long backlogs in the processing of family petitions.”

NUESTRAVOICE.COM: How will you measure reform proposals that will be presented to you for your endorsement and approval?

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid: “I am committed to the processes of the Senate and to openness. The immigration bill must go through the judiciary committee, where it will be subject to amendment, and then subject to amendment again on the floor. Whatever the Senate approves will be the product of a deliberative, thoughtful, and bipartisan process, as well as of some compromises.

“I believe a sound immigration proposal must be tough but it must also be fair, and it must effectively and efficiently address the complexity of our immigration system. It must address the crisis at our borders and in our interior, and not serve as a mere backdrop for political gaming and immigrant bashing. I am committed to the process of the Senate and to working in an open and bipartisan manner.”

NUESTRAVOICE.COM: The current Kennedy/McCain bill has a very long road to citizenship for undocumented workers. Can you see a possibility for a more direct faster path to citizenship for undocumented workers that have paid taxes, or are willing to pay back taxes, and generally played by the rules?

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid: “We need to let the democratic process work in the House and the Senate. Senators McCain and Kennedy will introduce a bill and after that the Senate will get to work on amending it and let the legislative process move forward.”

NUESTRAVOICE.COM: Current reform proposals call for time qualifiers for legalization. These proposals would give certain legalization paths to individuals depending on the period of time that they have been in the country. Do you believe that setting time qualifiers for legalization is realistic?

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid: “It is the nature of the United States Senate that the legislation we produce is inevitably the product of compromise and legislative give-and-take. I know that such compromises will have to be made with the comprehensive immigration reform bill we pass this year, and that it is unlikely that any member of this body, including myself, will support every provision that is in it. I strongly supported the bill the Senate passed last year even though there were parts of it I didn’t like. For example, I had significant concerns about that bill’s division of the undocumented population into three groups based on their length of time in the country, among other reasons because I believe this will be logistically difficult for the Department of Homeland Security to implement.”

NUESTRAVOICE.COM: Immigration reform is a very controversial issue. Are you concerned, as many seem to be, that this can hurt the standing of Democrats in Congress?

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid: “The overwhelming majority of Americans support the type of comprehensive immigration reform that Senate Democrats support and have voted for. The American people want real solutions to this problem, not fear-mongering.”

NUESTRAVOICE.COM: Immigration reform would be historic if passed. How does it feel to be a steward of the public trust leading such an important debate?

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid: “The American people elected us to the Senate to do what is right for the country. I have never shied away from doing the right thing, even if it means solutions that are not popular. In this case, immigration reform is a major concern for the American people. The 2007 elections made clear that voters rejected the mean-spirited anti-immigrant campaign of congressional Republicans. By engaging in those ugly tactics, Washington Republicans abdicated their responsibility as the representatives of the people to solve one of the nation’s most vexing problems. I am proud to lead a caucus that understands that we are a nation of immigrants and of inclusion, and that security and humane treatment of others are not mutually exclusive. As the new Senate Majority Leader, I will continue to work to find bipartisan solutions to the needs of hard-working American families.”

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