The Senate immigration reform bill that has been passed by the US Senate, is now headed to the House. Now it is up to the House to take up the immigration reform issue. Republicans have always been against immigration reform and the Republican chairman of the House Judiciary Committee stated that the comprehensive immigration legislation that the House passes, will not include a “special pathway to citizenship” for unauthorized residents.
The Democrats are in favor of immigration reform and the path to US citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country. The House that is controlled by the Republicans is not in favor of the path to citizenship and the members of the Republican party believe that this provision of the immigration reform bill would encourage unauthorized immigration.
Rep. Bob Goodlatte, who leads the House Judiciary Committee, stated that the House would say no to the special pathway to US citizenship for the undocumented immigrants. The Senate bill may not pass the House as it is controlled by the Republicans. However, the Republicans, in order to attract Hispanics, need to pass immigration reform. They need to remember that 70 percent of the Hispanics voted for President Obama, in the last election.
Members of the House are working on smaller bills that would address individual concerns but they have not come up with a comprehensive immigration reform bill, similar to that of the Gang of Eight. The Senate immigration reform legislation, would offer a path to US citizenship but that path would be a long and an arduous one. The bill that has been passed by the Senate, includes tough border security measures. But the conservatives are against the pathway to US citizenship and they claim that the Senate bill’s border security measures are not strong.
Members of the House prefer a piecemeal approach and they do not want to include a pathway to US citizenship. House Speaker, John Boehner, stated that the House will focus on border security and chart its own immigration reform legislation. However, the Democrats will not support any bill that does not include a pathway to US citizenship for America’s undocumented immigrants.