Dem Rep: Immigration Reform Opportunity Missed in 2009, 2010

Dem Rep: Immigration Reform Opportunity Missed in 2009, 2010

On Tuesday’s “Morning Joe” on MSNBC, Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) argued that while the GOP is to blame in his view for obstructing efforts to reform the U.S. immigration system, it was the Democrats that missed an opportunity as well when they had the Congress in 2009-10.

“This is why groups like that are led by folks like [America’s Voice executive director] Frank Sharry that have been attacking the Republicans,” Cuellar said. “And I do blame the Republicans right now. But keep in mind that the first two years in 2009, 2010, the Democrats we had the House, the Senate and the presidency and I remember a meeting very vividly April of 2009 where the Hispanic caucus — we went up there and asked the president, we have a window to address immigration at this time, immigration reform, and what happened the president said, ‘I’m a little tied up I’ll do it later.’ Then we lost the majority in the House and then after that it became very difficult to address. We lost a window. We should have taken advantage at that time.”

Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor

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