Dan Webster Offers Conditional Support for 'Gang of Eight' Immigration Reform Bill

As the House weighed the Gang of Eights" immigration reform bill that passed the Senate in late June, focus started to turn to U.S. Rep. Dan Webster, R-Fla., as a key vote. Webster, one of the leading conservatives in Florida for decades, represents parts of Central Florida which are increasingly conservative. Over the weekend, Webster said he supported the bill with some reservations, namely giving state and local governments more room to enforce immigration laws.

On Saturday, after news came out of where Webster stood on the issue, the Campaign for Citizenship trotted out Bishop Ricardo McClin from the Evangelical Church of God in Kissimmee to weigh in.

As clergy, leaders and families in the Campaign for Citizenship, we are thankful that Congressman Webster listened to the cries of the people in this community and declared his support for immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship for 11 million aspiring Americans, McClin said. Even though we are glad that he is exercising leadership on this important issue, we disagree with his idea of using local enforcement to enforce immigration laws. As people of faith, we look forward to working with Congressman Webster during the August recess to realize the promise of full citizenship for all Americans. We pray and hope that he will listen to the collective voices of our faith community. We stand ready to work with the congressman and his staff to ensure that he supports our campaign principles.