WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) released the following statement after the Senate failed to pass any immigration legislation today, including a bipartisan compromise bill that would have protected Dreamers and strengthened border security. Senator Coons was an original co-sponsor of that bill, which received the most support of the four bills considered today, though not enough to advance.
"I'm disappointed that the Senate failed to advance a bipartisan, compromise immigration bill that would have provided a pathway to citizenship for 1.8 million Dreamers, made robust investments in border security, and ensured that family reunification remained one of the core values of our immigration system,” said Senator Coons. "While this wasn't the bill I would have drafted myself, I believe this was a good, honest compromise that deserved to pass the Senate. Passing this type of bill, the product of long, difficult, bipartisan negotiations, is exactly what the American people expect us to do, and I'm disappointed that too few of my Republican colleagues supported it. It’s also clear that President Trump has, throughout his campaign and his Presidency, made immigration issues more, not less difficult, and made the politics surrounding immigration more divisive than ever before.
"I'm very concerned about the fate of Dreamers in Delaware and across the country who now face an uncertain future with real risk of deportation, and I will continue working across the aisle to try and find a solution however I can."