“We commend the “Gang of Eight”, especially New York Senator Chuck Schumer, for introducing a nuanced and detailed comprehensive reform bill that will overhaul our country’s broken immigration system. The Senators and their staffs have been working tirelessly for months to create a bi-partisan bill that will open up a path to citizenship for our nation’s 11 million undocumented immigrants, including a pathway for DREAMers, and we applaud them for their courage to weigh in on this important issue.

The United States was founded on the hopes and initiative of immigrants and for too long unnecessary deportations have torn apart our families and weakened our workforce.

As we analyze and debate this complicated issue in the coming months, it is important that we maintain open dialogue and respect the needs and issues of the impacted communities.
There is a lot of work to be done, especially regarding the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community, and we hope our elected officials continue to make positive advances that eventually ensure a path for citizenship for all families who call this country home.

##