U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono spoke on the Senate floor Tuesday to condemn a bill she said would turn “hardworking immigrants into bogeymen.”

The Stop Sanctuary Policies and Protect Americans Act, Hirono’s office explained, would “unfairly penalize hundreds of cities and local jurisdictions across the country by stripping them of key federal funding and preventing local law enforcement officials from using commonsense approaches to protect their communities.”

Hirono, the Hawaii Democrat who is the only immigrant in the Senate, argued, “If my colleagues who support this bill are serious about addressing violence in America, then they should come to the table to talk about how we can strengthen our laws to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill.”

She added, “And I have been saying this for over a year now: if my Republican colleagues want to discuss immigration reform, I welcome that debate.”

The legislation from Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) failed to advance in a 54-45 procedural vote Tuesday. Sixty votes were needed.

Hirono and Hawaii’s other senator, Brian Schatz, joined other Democrats in opposing the bill, one that Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada called “the Donald Trump Act” and “vile,” referring to the GOP presidential candidate’s strong stance against illegal immigration. 

Hirono noted in her floor remarks that it has been more than two years since the U.S. Senate passed a comprehensive immigration reform bill with bipartisan support. House Republicans “ducked the issue and refused to take up any immigration reform bill,” she complained.