Rep. David Valadao (R-CA) on Wednesday became the third House Republican to get on board with a comprehensive immigration reform bill proposed by House Democrats, according to the Washington Post.
Reps. Illeana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) and Jeff Dunham (R-CA) are already co-sponsors of the bill.
Valadao said that he is supporting the bill in order to show House leadership that Republicans want immigraiton reform.
“I have been working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to find common ground on the issue of immigration reform,” Valadao said in a statement to the Post. “Recently, I have focused my efforts on joining with likeminded Republicans in organizing and demonstrating to Republican Leadership broad support within the Party to address immigration reform in the House by the end of the year.”
Valadao stressed that it was important to pass a comprehensive reform bill soon.
“Addressing immigration reform in the House cannot wait,” he said. “I am serious about making real progress and will remain committed to doing whatever it takes to repair our broken immigration system.”
The Senate passed a comprehensive reform bill in June, but its prospect for passage with Republicans has so far been slim to none.
House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) said earlier this month that immigration “needs to be addressed,” but has yet to announce any details on how he plans to move forward on the issue.
