Nevada senator seeing route to immigration reforms through voters

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D‑Nev., addressed a gathering at the East Las Vegas Community Center on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, urging action on immigration reform. On Monday, July 28, 2026, she reintroduced the Fairness for Immigrant Families Act, marking her third attempt to advance a comprehensive immigration package through Congress. Immigration advocates in Nevada are rallying behind the senator’s proposal, which would ease the path to citizenship for longtime undocumented residents. With the midterm elections less than 70 days away, supporters argue that voters could become the measure’s strongest ally at the ballot box. Cortez Masto emphasized that turning the bill into law depends on public demand and voter participation. “It is up to the Americans and individuals successful this assemblage who privation to basal with our neighbors, privation to basal with our friends, privation to basal with the indispensable workforce successful our community, and say, no, we’re with you, and we are going to propulsion back,” Cortez Masto said. “This is our country, and we are going to request the changes that we want, including voting retired oregon really calling retired the atrocious and harmful medication policies of this administration.” She noted that overcoming a potential presidential veto requires a two‑thirds majority in both the House and Senate. All 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats are contested this fall. Advocates also praised the bill’s provisions targeting fraudulent immigration services, often referred to as notario fraud. “This measure yet puts existent penalties and multilingual extortion down that fight. So families aren’t paying thousands of dollars to a scammer, leaving them successful the worst spot than they already are,” said Eric Jeng, enforcement manager of One APIA Nevada. The legislation would reinstate the 245(i) adjustment process, allowing undocumented immigrants with U.S. citizen family members to pay a fee and obtain a green card without leaving the country—a pathway that closed in 2001. Cortez Masto insisted the measure does not compromise border security. “They play by our rules, they lend to the economy, they wage taxes,” Cortez Masto said. “But, nether the existent migration laws determination is nary mode for them to set their presumption and yet travel retired of the shadows.”” She argued that a balanced approach is possible. “We tin bash both,” Cortez Masto said. “That’s wherefore I privation radical to recognize this medication is trying to instrumentality an contented astatine the borderline and crook it into a broader contented and an onslaught connected our migrant community.”” Drawing on her experience as Nevada attorney general, she cited work combating human, drug, weapons and money‑laundering trafficking along the Mexico border, and noted her Senate efforts to secure resources for those issues. Ultimately, Cortez Masto said the bill aims to give longtime community members an opportunity to live openly. “They merit that chance,” Cortez Masto said.