October 21, 2013 / Modified oct 22, 2013 1:57 p.m.

Grijalva Urges Congress to Continue Immigration Reform Talks

Gov. shutdown is over, Obama says he wants lawmakers to focus on reform; there is too much to lose if they don't, Grijalva says.

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A 16-day government shutdown over federal budget issues put immigration reform on a back burner.

Now that the government is back to work, President Barack Obama has said he would like to see Congress focus on immigration reform, and U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva is on the same page.

The Arizona Democratic congressman is back to work in Tucson, and said recent incidents - three back-to-back major protests in Arizona and one in Washington, D.C., - show people are getting tired of waiting for solutions to a broken immigration system.

"Issues around deportation, around detention, and that level of frustration is going to continue to increase if the House doesn't move on something," said Grijalva, who was recently arrested, along with seven other members of Congress, during an immigration protest and rally in D.C. "We've proposed an alternative, which is actually a very, very good, perfect bill."

Grijalva said he is optimistic about the momentum immigration reform has right now.

"I think the majority of people support something comprehensive, a path to legalization, citizenship and those are a big deal," he said.

The congressman also said there is too much to loose if immigration reform continues to get postponed.

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