Statement by Dr. Samuel Rodriguez, President of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC), Regarding the Future of Immigration Reform Following Eric Cantor's Defeat

 PRESS RELEASE

SAN FRANCISCO, June 12, 2014 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ --

"Among the many complex factors contributing to Eric Cantor's loss in the Virginia GOP primary election Tuesday, June 10, interpreting his defeat as a collective conservative clarion call opposing immigration reform stands as both a political miscalculation and an indication that Republicans continue to suffer from ethno cultural myopia. Simply stated, without immigration reform, the GOP cannot and will not successfully engage the Hispanic American electorate. Republicans have a choice to make as it pertains to this critical demographic: they can either build a bridge by passing comprehensive immigration reform or continue to construct a wall alienating a constituency that supported George W. Bush with 44 percent of the vote.

Correspondingly Tuesday night, non-amnesty immigration reform supporter Senator Lindsey Graham triumphed in his South Carolina Republican primary re-election. In that regard, while a recent study by the Public Religion Research Institute indicates that there exists a bit of angst amongst conservatives regarding a path to citizenship, the majority of Americans do support a non-amnesty immigration reform solution that legalizes and integrates individuals currently undocumented while simultaneously securing our borders.

Finally, just a few weeks ago, the Tea Party came out in favor of immigration reform, prompting the question, "Is the Republican Party suffering from multi-personality disorder and short-term memory loss?" Now is the time to pass immigration reform - for the good of America, for the good of God-fearing families and for the good of all."

The NHCLC is the largest Hispanic Christian organization representing millions of Evangelicals, 40,118 U.S churches and more than 500,000 churches across the globe. Seeking to reconcile evangelist Billy Graham's message of salvation with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s march of prophetic activism, the NHCLC emphasizes "7 Directives" of Life, Family, Compassionate Evangelism, Stewardship, Justice, Education and Youth. For additional information, visit www.nhclc.org.

SOURCE  National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference
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