Report Reveals Only 23% of Senate Supported Enforcing Border in 113th Congress

WASHINGTON, Oct. 17, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- FAIR's Congressional Voting Report for the 113^th Congress tracked members' votes on immigration-related legislation. A thorough analysis of the report revealed an unprecedented divide in opinion between parties.

"The 113^th Congress let down Americans by failing to enact immigration reform legislation that would have protected the vital interests of the American people and secured our nation's borders," said FAIR President Dan Stein. "Instead, the legislation that received serious attention from Congress was directed at addressing the demands of corporations and open borders advocates.

"As American workers continued to struggle and illegal immigration surged, the vital interests of the American people were utterly ignored by the 113^th Congress. The focus has been almost entirely on gaining amnesty for illegal aliens and increasing the number of new permanent and temporary workers admitted to the U.S.," continued Stein. "FAIR's analysis of the voting records of members of the 113^th Congress indicates that neglect of the public interest in immigration policy cut across party lines. Democrats, uniformly, fell into line with President Obama's amnesty and open borders agenda, while significant numbers of Republicans in both houses also backed amnesty and the importation of more foreign workers.

"While there were certainly some members who stood out in their defense of the interests of the American people, the overall immigration policy record of the 113^th Congress can only be characterized as a failure. Thankfully, public opposition prevented harmful immigration legislation from reaching the president's desk. The American people can only look forward hopefully to a new sense of service to the public interest on immigration policy from the 114^th Congress," Stein concluded.

FAIR's intention in providing this statistical information is to educate the public about 184 members of Congress have been legitimate supporters of an "enforcement-first" approach to true immigration reform. FAIR is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and does not endorse candidates.

Among the key findings of FAIR's Congressional Voting Report:    

House of Representatives

• 37% of all members voted consistently for enforcement-oriented legislation
• 70% of Republicans and 0% of Democrats voted consistently for enforcement-oriented legislation
• 34% of the House had mixed voting records (pushed for both amnesty and enforcement), including 30% of Republicans and 37% of Democrats
• 29% of total members opposed all enforcement-oriented legislation
• 0% of Republicans voted against all eight bills but 63% of Democrats opposed all enforcement-oriented legislation

A detailed analysis of each member's votes on key legislation pertaining to immigration policy can be found here.

Senate

• 23% of all Senators voted consistently for enforcement-oriented legislation
• 51% of Republicans and 0% of Democrats voted consistently for enforcement-oriented legislation
• 34% of all Senators had mixed voting records (pushed for both amnesty and enforcement), including 49% of Republicans and 23% of Democrats
• 43% of all Senators consistently opposed all enforced-oriented legislation
• 0% of Republicans and 77% of Democrats voted consistently to oppose enforcement-oriented legislation

A detailed analysis of each Senator's votes on key legislation pertaining to immigration policy can be found here.

About FAIR
Founded in 1979, FAIR is the country's largest immigration reform group.  With over 250,000 members nationwide, FAIR fights for immigration policies that serve national interests, not special interests.  FAIR believes that immigration reform must enhance national security, improve the economy, protect jobs, preserve our environment, and establish a rule of law that is recognized and enforced.

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