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Sen. Menendez Talks Immigration Reform One Year After Legislation Passed Crucial Committee Hurdle
Senator Bob Menendez talks about immigration reform on the Senate Floor exactly one year after the Senate #39;s "Gang of 8" legislation passed the Senate Judiciary Committee.

By: SenatorMenendezNJ

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Sen. Menendez Talks Immigration Reform One Year After Legislation Passed Crucial Committee Hurdle - Video

Senate Democrats on Thursday insisted that House Republicans should take up comprehensive immigration reform legislation as soon as possible, even if that means delaying its implementation until President Obama is out of office.

"Here's a suggestion," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said to reporters. "Let's pass immigration reform today and make it take effect in 2017... under President Rand Paul or President Theodore Cruz." (Sen. Ted Cruz's full name is, in fact, Rafael Edward Cruz)

Democrats have put up the challenge before in response to the Republican rationale for delaying immigration reform: House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio and others maintain the president cannot be trusted to enforce any laws Congress may pass.

Reid insisted that "the president's proven he'll enforce current immigration law." Furthermore, he said that delaying the implementation of immigration reform is "not my preference."

Still, he said, "We need to get [the reforms] across the finish line." If Republicans reject the Democrats' offer to act now and delay the legislation's implementation, it would "suggest there's never going to be a time when House Republicans are willing to act," Reid added.

If Republicans don't act soon, Democrats threatened, Mr. Obama should feel compelled to make more immigration reforms unilaterally.

"They have about a six-week window from June 10 after the last Republican primary until the August recess," Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said. "If they don't pass immigration reform, then the president will have no choice but to act on his own... If the president has to act, the only blame will fall on the shoulders of House Republicans."

Noting that the Senate passed a comprehensive immigration reform bill 329 days ago, Reid said that they could wait a few more weeks for the House to follow suit. He also said that before ratcheting up pressure on the White House to act, Congress should wait for the upcoming Department of Homeland Security report of the United States' deportation policy.

Mr. Obama has come under increasing pressure from immigration advocates to halt the deportation of undocumented immigrants. His administration has deported more undocumented immigrants than any other administration and last month surpassed the 2 million mark.

Reid said he expects the DHS report should be finished in at least six weeks. "At the end of six weeks if something hasn't been done, there's going to have to be a move made," he said.

See the original post:
Dems to GOP: Let "Pres. Rand Paul" enact immigration reform

Senate Democratic leaders say President Obama will act unilaterally to reform the nations immigration system if House Republicans fail to pass legislation by the end of July.

They have about a six-week window, from June 10 after the last Republican primary until the August recess. If they dont pass immigration reform them, the president will have no choice but to act on his own, said Sen. Charles Schumer (N.Y.), the third-ranking Senate Democratic leader and author of the comprehensive Senate immigration reform proposal.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Democrats highest priority for reform is to reunify the families of illegal immigrants that have been split by deportations.

There is no demographic group in the world that believes in family unification more than Hispanics, Reid said. Thats my first goal, I think should be our first goal. The way to do that once and for all is to pass comprehensive immigration reform."

Democrats noted that 329 days have gone by since the Senate passed its reform bill, which exceeded 1,000 pages and addressed border security, interior enforcement, work visas and granted a pathway to citizenship to millions of immigrants.

Republican critics say the bill did not go far enough to secure the border and could hurt citizens looking for work.

Three hundred and twenty-nine days ago Senate Democrats voted unanimously to double the supply of low-wage guest workers for corporations, said Stephen Miller, a spokesman for Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.).

He noted a Congressional Budget Office finding that the bill could increase unemployment and reduce wages.

Obama recently ordered the Department of Homeland Security to make its enforcement of immigration law more sensitive to the negative impact it may have on the families of immigrants living in the country illegally.

Advocates for better treatment of illegal immigrants expect the department will issue new guidance to ease the deportation of illegal immigrants whose family members are citizens or settled U.S. residents.

Read more:
Schumer: Obama will act on immigration if GOP doesn't

Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, said on the House floor Monday that immigration reform will lead to increased child sex trafficking and hurts the economy.

Gohmert was speaking about the rising number of undocumented children entering the U.S. when he said the debate over comprehensive immigration reform is causing the uptick in border crossings by minors.

"When legal status and amnesty is talked about here in Washington, it becomes a magnet and draws people in. And for all of the children that are drawn in illegally, you know that some get sucked into sex slavery," said Gohmert. He added, "Because of the talk of amnesty in this town and because we do not have a secured border, then this administration, and this Congress also, is complicit in helping lure people into sex trafficking."

Gohmert also argued that the U.S. should not offer legals status to these children because they cannot contribute to the economy.

"We have people saying, oh, if we just legalize everybody that is here, all of this new tax money will come flooding in," Gohmert told his colleagues. "There can be no debate that young children who are not working, even if they are legalized, for those who make the argument, gee, look at all the tax money that the Federal coffers will be getting if we just legalize everybody here, that is a bogus argument."

Economists have consistently asserted that making the immigration system more accessible would stimulate the economy. The Bipartisan Policy Center released a report last October saying comprehensive immigration reform would boost economic growth by 4.8 percent over the next two decades, 94 percent of the new residents would be under the retirement age of 65, real wages would rise by .5 percent and young workers would end up reducing the deficit by $1.2 trillion over the next twenty years with a larger economy.

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Original headline: Rep. Louie Gohmert thinks immigration reform will lead to child sex ...

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Gohmert Thinks Immigration Reform Will Lead to Child Sex Slavery

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Thursday that the Obama administration will have to act alone on stemming deportations if the House doesnt move on immigration reform by this summers end.

The comments from Reid appeared to be the most definitive that the Senates top Democrat has given on the politically thorny question of whether the administration should use executive authority to halt deportations. Thats a top demand of pro-reform advocates, particularly from those who are skeptical the House will end up doing anything on immigration this year.

The issue for Reid, as it is for other Democrats, is timing. Senate Democrats believe there is a narrow window of about six weeks this summer from mid-June to the end of July for the GOP-led House to move immigration bills, and they want the focus during that period to be on Republican lawmakers, not the administration.

(Also on POLITICO:GOP blocks immigration proposals)

Weve waited 329 days, were willing to wait another six weeks, Reid said Thursday, referring to the number of days that have passed since his chamber passed a comprehensive reform bill. But at the end of six weeks, if something hasnt been done, then theres gonna have to be a move made. And its too bad we have to do that, because we all know things can be done administratively, but its better to change the law.

Reid said the best solution on immigration is a sweeping rewrite led by Congress. He endorsed an idea first floated by one of his top deputies, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.): Pass a bill this year, but have it take effect in January 2017 when a new president moves into the White House.

That is meant to take aim at a chief criticism from House Republicans: They dont trust President Barack Obama to implement an immigration bill.

(Also on POLITICO:Dems seek Obama midterm strategy)

If Republicans dont trust President Obama, lets give them a chance to implement the bill under President Rand Paul or President Theodore Cruz, Reid said, referring to two current Republican senators who are potential presidential contenders in 2016. (Cruzs first name is actually Rafael.)

To be clear, delaying immigration reform is not my preference, Reid continued. But I feel so strongly that this bill needs to get done Im willing to show flexibility.

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Reid: Immigration may belong to W.H.