Bipartisan Policy Center Names Immigration Task Force

Task Force Led by Barbour, Rendell, Rice and Cisneros will host first event in California this month

WASHINGTON, April 1, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) announced the membership of its recently formed Immigration Task Force.  The group includes twelve business and labor leaders, key immigration stakeholders and former senior political figures from both parties. 

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros, and former Governors Haley Barbour and Ed Rendell announced in February that they will co-chair the effort. 

"Immigration is a highly complex issue and a critical component of our economy. It will take a truly bipartisan group to examine the challenges we face and develop solutions," said Governor Barbour. "Our task force will propose solutions that can be considered by members of both parties."

"This task force brings new and needed voices to the ongoing immigration debate," said Governor Rendell.  "Over the course of the next several months, this group will advocate for practical solutions that will further the conversations in both the Senate and the House."

"A comprehensive immigration solution will require a thoughtful, well-reasoned plan that addresses the short-term needs, as well as long-term opportunities for reform," said Secretary Cisneros. "The Bipartisan Policy Center Immigration Task Force we have assembled is positioned to help advance such a plan."

BPC's Immigration Task Force will consider all pillars of immigration reform, including enforcement, legalization and worker visas.  Over the next several months, the task force will develop and advocate for consensus recommendations to guide national immigration policy.  In April, the group will host its first public event in Silicon Valley.

"Our task force will begin talking to major constituencies and debating key policy issues right away, and I am eager to host the group in California this month," said Secretary Rice. 

The task force is directed by Becky Tallent, former chief of staff and long-time aide to Senator John McCain (R-AZ), who recently joined BPC. 

Co-Chairs:    
Former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Henry Cisneros
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
Former Governor Haley Barbour
Former Governor Ed Rendell

Task Force Members:
Former Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff
Former Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis
Former Congressman Howard Berman (D-CA)
Former Congressman John Shadegg (R-AZ)
Al Cardenas, chair of the American Conservatives Union
John Chen, former chairman, chief executive officer and president of Sybase
Eliseo Medina, International Secretary-Treasurer of the Service Employees International Union
John Rowe, former chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Exelon Corporation

About the Bipartisan Policy Center:
Founded in 2007 by former Senate Majority Leaders Howard Baker, Tom Daschle, Bob Dole and George Mitchell, the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) is a non-profit organization that drives principled solutions through rigorous analysis, reasoned negotiation, and respectful dialogue. With projects in multiple issue areas, BPC combines politically-balanced policymaking with strong, proactive advocacy and outreach.  For more information, please visit our website: www.bipartisanpolicy.org.

SOURCE Bipartisan Policy Center

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