Santorum Comments on Immigration Reform in Light of Cantor Loss

Verona, PA - Former U.S. Senator, former Republican presidential candidate, chairman of Patriot Voices and author of Blue Collar Conservatives Rick Santorum issued the following statement today regarding the future of immigration reform:

"While I do not think we can blame the immigration issue as the sole reason Eric Cantor lost on Tuesday, we cannot ignore that his support for amnesty for illegal immigrants was an important factor. This ought to serve as a serious wake-up call to the GOP establishment. At the moment, Republican leaders in Washington are deeply out of touch with working Americans who see their jobs threatened by the federal government's refusal to secure our borders and stop the flood of illegal immigration.

"Republicans should take this as a message that the Senate-passed amnesty bill must be defeated. It is abundantly clear that Republican leaders cannot betray the rule of law when it comes to immigration reform if they want to win a governing majority in the House and Senate in 2014.

"Unless GOP leaders start listening to average working people on this issue - and many other blue collar conservative issues - they risk discouraging grassroots support just at the moment when we are poised for major gains in the Fall.

"Republicans in Washington should not be flirting with the Senate-passed amnesty bill. They should be fighting the President who has failed us by not enforcing our laws thus encouraging the tragic situation of thousands of children flooding across the southern border. Until we stop encouraging illegal immigration and begin to physically control our own border, every other immigration reform will prove pointless," Santorum concluded.