'Today, Republicans in the Senate had an historic chance to act in the interests of the American people, but chose not to. Although the immigration bill before the Senate was far from perfect, it would have served as a starting point to address this critical issue for our nation.'

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent the following letter to the Members of the 46th Mexico-U.S. Interparliamentary Group. Their first meeting took place in Austin, Texas, this weekend.

'The community is going to have to be mobilized as you always have been in order for us to be true to who we are - family values being an important in America, family reunification being central to our immigration policy.'

'Today I join my colleagues of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to reiterate House Democrats' commitment to comprehensive immigration reform. The time to pass comprehensive immigration reform is now.'

'These distinguished friends have each made significant contributions toward safeguarding the rights of immigrants through litigation, outreach, and education.'

'In honor of Cinco de Mayo, I am pleased to announce Members of the U.S.-Mexico Interparliamentary Group for the 110th Congress. The expertise and leadership of these Members will be crucial to House Democrats' efforts to take our bi-national relationship in a new direction.'

'Everything we do here in Congress should be done with our children in mind so that all of America's children will be able to grow and prosper in a safe and secure environment.'

'At the same time, we must enact immigration reform that is humane and honors our American tradition of being a nation of immigrants.'