Jerry Seib: Immigration Reform on the Agenda Again
The President has resurrected the issue of immigration reform this spring but it is already off to another rocky start. However, the strategy for Democrats m...
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Jerry Seib: Immigration Reform on the Agenda Again - Video
House Speaker John Boehner recently told a group of donors that he was anxious to get an immigration reform bill passed this year. Speaking at a Las Vegas fundraiser, the Republican from Ohio said he was hell-bent on getting this done this year.
Many Republicans in the House have been reluctant to tackle the sensitive issue before the the midterm elections in November, according to Fox News. The original story on the comment broke in the Wall Street Journal Friday and Boehners office immediately began to try and quell speculation that Republicans were going to move on the issue this year.
Boehner has said many times in the past that Republican distrust of President Obama has made passing meaningful immigration legislation impossible.
Every time the president ignores the law, like the 38 times he has on ObamaCare, our members look up and go, 'Wait a minute: You can't have immigration reform without strong border security and internal enforcement. How can we trust the President to actually obey the law and enforce the law that we would write?' he said in a story from The Hill.
Nothing has changed according to Boehner spokesman, Brendan Buck.
As he's said many times, the Speaker believes step-by-step reform is important, but it won't happen until the president builds trust and demonstrates a commitment to the rule of law, Buck said after the story broke Friday.
The Senate passed a comprehensive immigration reform bill last year but it has not made it out of committee in the Republican controlled House of Representatives.
In December, immigration reform proponent, Rebecca Tallent, joined Boehners office. That addition upset many conservatives who took it as a sign that the Speaker might be growing soft on the hardline message concerning reform. Many Republicans still favor tight border security and stronger enforcement rather than path to citizenship types of legislation something many consider tantamount to amnesty.
Others remain suspicious of Boehner for other reasons. They think his recents comments may be a ploy to gain support for Republicans in the upcoming midterms.
"Boehner's blowing wind up someone's skirt, either that of the voters or the donors, Mark Krikorian of the Center for Immigration Studies, wrote in a recent email. The fact that his spokesman didn't dispute the 'hellbent' comment (despite all the "chill out", "nothing's changed" stuff) suggests to me it's the voters Boehner's trying to fool.
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Boehner 'Hell-Bent' On Passing Immigration Reform. Others Not So Sure.
Full Video: Friday Domestic News Roundup, 4/18/2014
President Barack Obama and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor spar over immigration reform. The New York Police Department drops a Muslim surveillance program...
By: The Diane Rehm Show
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Full Video: Friday Domestic News Roundup, 4/18/2014 - Video
The Best/Worst Part About Obama #39;s Immigration Talk With Cantor
President Barack Obama said Thursday he was "surprised" by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor #39;s strong-worded attack on Democrats #39; immigration reform push af...
By: The Young Turks
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The Best/Worst Part About Obama's Immigration Talk With Cantor - Video
Summit County Council member Dave Ure wants the Council to pass a resolution calling on the U.S. Congress to pass an immigration reform bill. Ure says many in Summit County, including business owners and undocumented immigrants, believe action must be taken. (Park Record file photo)
With immigration reform still being held up in the U.S. House of Representatives, Summit County Council member Dave Ure wants to send a message that something must be done on the issue on the federal level. Ure has helped to draft a County Council resolution supporting immigration reform and declaring June "Immigrant Heritage Month."
To view the resolution, click here.
"It's basically saying, 'Congress, get in gear and do something for us,'" Ure said. "There's a strong national push to try to get Congress to do something that's why we're doing it, to try to show a strong coalition from everybody."
Immigration reform is an issue that Ure said he has been passionate about for the last 10 to 12 years, especially during his time as the 53rd District representative in the Utah State Legislature. He said he has heard from many business owners in the county, as well as undocumented immigrants, that reform is sorely needed.
Congress and the president are currently deadlocked over immigration reform legislation.
Obama says there is bipartisan support for immigration reform but House Speaker John Boehner maintains that Congress would not accept the comprehensive bill passed by the Democratically-controlled Senate last year, Reuters reported.
Ure said he has heard mainly from business owners in the restaurant, agricultural and ski industry about the importance of addressing immigration. He said businesses like those are having a difficult time recruiting immigrants, who fear they will be deported.
"Many of those people are still in the community and are very active, and even though they're not citizens, they've lived here most of their lives and have to live in the shadows 99 percent of the time," Ure said.
Creating an easier, more streamlined way for immigrants to obtain a green card or permanent residency should be a crucial part of immigration reform, Ure said. That way, more undocumented immigrants can work in the United States and pay taxes, hospital bills and educational expenses.
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Council to vote on resolution calling for immigration reform