Indianapolis 500 Ad: Pass Immigration Reform Now
"America is a nation of laws. But it is also a nation of immigrants." Bibles, Badges and Business will run an ad this weekend near the entrances to the Indianapolis 500 Motor Speedway. Sheriff...
By: bbbimmigration
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Indianapolis 500 Ad: Pass Immigration Reform Now - Video
U.S. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) (L-R) and House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) hold a news conference after a Republican Party caucus meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington May 20, 2014. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3Q1PA
The immigration fight has moved inside the House of Representatives since the Senates comprehensive reform bill passed last summer, and its beginning to intensify in the dichotomy between the supporters of its two chief leaders, Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor.
Eric Cantor is the number one guy standing between the American people and immigration reform, pro-reform Americas Voice Executive Director Frank Sharry said on a conference call with Democratic activists earlier this week, according to the Associated Press.
Reformers allege that future speakership ambitions and a tea party primary challenge on June 10 have pushed the Virginia Republican to stiffen, drag it out or not address immigration at all to appease tea party House members and voters. Those same factors have reportedly driven a wedge between the already divided top two tiers of the lower chambers leadership.
Boehner criticized his House Republican colleagues last month for avoiding immigration, alleging they viewed the issue as too hard.
We get elected to make choices. We get elected to solve problems and its remarkable to me how many of my colleagues just dont want to, Boehner said. Theyll take the path of least resistance.
Cantor spokesmanDoug Heye challenged the assertions against Cantor, citing the majority leaders announcement with Republican House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte last summer to propose legislation granting citizenship to undocumented immigrants brought into the U.S. as children illegally.
Heye also pointed to Cantors commitment last year to help California Republican Rep. Jeff Denham bring a bill to the floor offering similar citizenship to undocumented children brought in illegally in exchange for military service.
The bill with Goodlatte has yet to materialize and Cantors office announced last week that Denhams proposal, dubbed the ENLIST Act, would not come to the floor for a vote this year as part of 2015s defense authorization bill, for which Cantor scheduled a Thursday vote. According to Heye, both of those conversations are still ongoing.
On the issue of kids, he thinks thats a great place to start and wants to continue to work on that. He supports the principle behind the ENLIST Act, Heye said. These are things that he believes because theyre the right things for him to do. Its not a political calculation. Eric Cantors position on immigration remains consistent.
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Tension rises in GOP leadership over immigration
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.
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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.
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Schumer: Obama will act on immigration if GOP doesn't