The House will decide on the fate of immigration, after the US Congress returns from the August recess. The most contentious part of immigration reform is the path to US citizenship for the country’s undocumented immigrants.
Several activists met in California and urged the Republican Congressman Kevin McCarthy to change his position on immigration reform. Rep. Kevin McCarthy, was not in the district office when the demonstrators entered the office. They want the House to vote on a bill that would allow all the undocumented immigrants living in the country to apply for US citizenship.
Organizer Dolores Huerta, stated that all the immigrants who entered into the country later became citizens of the United States. This includes our Founding Fathers, the first immigrants. Supporters of immigration reform want the country’s undocumented immigrants also to become US citizens.
A statement on McCarthy’s website shows that he is against the path to US citizenship for the country’s undocumented immigrants. According to him, amnesty must not be granted to the ones who broke the country’s immigration laws and who got into the country illegally.
Frank Sharry, Washington-based coordinator stated that the lawmakers are now feeling the pressure. They are being urged by tech entrepreneurs, faith groups, union leaders and immigrants in their community, to pass immigration reform.
Local residents from a faith based community urged their Congressional representative Jerry McNerney, to support the Senate immigration reform legislation, in a meeting at the parish hall of Antioch’s Holy Rosary Church. Members of that group stated that they want immigration reform this year.
According to House Speaker John Boehner, first the country’s borders must be secured. Republicans do not want to pass an amnesty bill, that would offer the undocumented immigrants a path to US citizenship. At the same time, Democrats, will not support any bill that excludes this special path to citizenship. The US Senate recently passed a comprehensive reform legislation that was introduced by the Gang of Eight and the House is yet to take up this issue.