WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall issued the following statement after Republicans blocked a final vote on emergency supplemental funding to address the Central American immigration crisis:

"We face a humanitarian crisis at the border involving young children, and regardless of how each of us feels about whether they should be returned home or granted asylum, we have a responsibility to provide them with clean, humane housing while we make that determination. Ultimately, I believe the Senate's comprehensive immigration bill passed earlier this year is the best way to restore sanity to our immigration system by providing more border security and bringing undocumented workers out of the shadows. It's unfortunate that Congress can't come together on a targeted response to the current crisis.

"At the end of the day, the U.S. House of Representatives could solve this crisis and prevent it from happening again by passing the Senate's comprehensive immigration reform legislation. I'm deeply disappointed that they would rather grandstand and fight than address the serious issues facing our nation."