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Democrats stood on the east steps to the Capitol in snowy conditions to tag Republicans to make the next move in the ongoing political maneuvering over immigration reform.

On Wednesday, Democrats resorted to what amounts to filing a petition and gathering enough signatures to force House leadership to schedule a vote on a Democrat-sponsored version of the immigration reform bill passed by the Senate in June.

There is little expectation their maneuver will work, but it has become a tactic for Democrats wanting to highlight before November's midterm elections what they say is GOP obstinance on important legislative issues.

So, despite freezing temperatures and biting winds, Democratic members and their allies stood outside the House to demand that House Speaker John Boehner put immigration reform to a vote.

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We are here to say the time is now. We cannot continue to be out of touch with America. It is time for you to put country before politics, said California Rep. Xavier Becerra, House Democratic Caucus chairman, who was coatless.

As some spoke, light snow flurries and wind kicked up, whipping the small American flags some waved and creating an apt backdrop to the cold shoulder Democrats said Republicans are giving families separated by deportations.

For nine months weve waited. Weve given them time. Weve heard the excuses. Weve braved the weather, yet here we sit, said Rep. Joe Garcia, D-Fla., who is the chief sponsor of the Democrats comprehensive immigration reform bill, HR15. The bill is similar to one passed by the Senate last June.

The House rules require a majority of signatures on the petition, meaning Democrats need some Republican signatures, a requirement few expect to be reached.

For nine months weve waited. Weve given them time. Weve heard the excuses. Weve braved the weather, yet here we sit, said Rep. Joe Garcia, D-Fla.

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Democrats Thrust Immigration Reform Back on GOP Agenda

The luminaries of Silicon Valley may not be known for flexing their political muscle, but leaders like Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates continue to push and prod Congress on one issue near and dear to their hearts (and wallets): comprehensive immigration reform.

This effort appears to be the largest campaign by the idealistic Silicon Valley community on a big national issue and is being led by Joe Green, who co-founded pro-immigration reform advocacy group FWD.us with Facebook (FB) CEO Zuckerberg in 2013

In Silicon Valley, if you dont like the way something works, you go around it. If you dont like the taxi system, you build Uber. But you cant go around Congress. Its Congress, said Green, who said many in the tech world find Washington somewhere between confusing and disgusting.

Silicon Valley is the culture of Why Not? D.C. is the culture of Why? Youre always going up against institutional forces whereas in Silicon Valley youre going around them, he said.

FWD.us is among a diverse coalition of groups urging Congress to act on immigration reform, including the Chamber of Commerce, unions, religious organizations and countless think tanks.

The 501(c)(4) group is promoting a bipartisan policy agenda that includes education reform and supporting scientific research. But the focus right now is squarely on tipping the scales in the heated immigration debate.

Visa Reform Sought

People always ask me why do a bunch of tech guys care about 11 million undocumented immigrants? asked Green.

He pointed to Silicon Valleys idealistic and entrepreneurial roots as well as the industrys location in California, where immigration is a very real issue.

Green grew up in Los Angeles, went to a high school that was 40% Latino and had a friend whose parents were deported.

Link:

Silicon Valley Goes to Washington to Take on Immigration Reform

Still, the weight of the movement is pressuring the president, who called on Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson to review the administrations enforcement policies for humane solutions within the scope of existing law.

This move by the president, who in the past deemed himself powerless to act alone to suspend deportations, has won him praise among supporters of the overhaul. But critics of Obamas directive fear a hollowing-out of immigration laws should proponents get their way on deportations.

Obama told Hispanic lawmakers in a meeting two weeks ago he was ordering the policy review out of a deep concern... for the pain these families face.

Johnson is already making the rounds to lawmakers to learn their views ahead of a meeting with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus next month. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., met with Johnson on Tuesday and other advocates will do the same in the coming weeks to discuss strategies to dial back the deportation of non-criminals and relieve, as much as possible within existing law, the family separation and pain that increasing deportations have caused in recent years, Gutierrez said.

Thats precisely the problem for Ira Mehlman, media director at the restrictionist Federation for American Immigration Reform, who said, there is almost nothing to dial back.

The administration has all but halted the deportation of non-criminals, Mehlman said.

Obamas record of deportations, the most of any administration, is about to hit 2 million. Some 400,000 people are deported each year, according to data from the Pew Research Center. These numbers have earned Obama the title of deporter-in-chief among immigrant groups.

But the statistics are rather deceptive -- something the president himself has admitted -- since more than half of the people counted as deported by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency were apprehended at the border. Those numbers wouldnt have been counted by past administrations, Johnson confirmed to lawmakers two weeks ago. According to ICE data, only 133,551 of the 368,644 removals in fiscal 2013 were immigrants caught inside the U.S. Moreover, 82 percent of the immigrants removed from within the U.S. were previously convicted of crimes. The administration has said its focus is to deport criminals and those who pose a security threat.

Nearly all of those were people who met the administrations own priority criteria, Mehlman said. He criticizes advocates on the other side like Gutierrez for blaming the impact of deportation on families on the execution of the law instead of those who violate it.

In every other area of law enforcement, we hold the people who broke the law responsible for any adverse consequences on family members, Mehlman said. Moreover, people who are deported have the option of taking spouses and children with them.

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Immigration Reform: Amid 'Deceptive' Statistics, Opponents Worry About Law's Effectiveness

That was the call from the House Democratic Whip, Steny Hoyer of Maryland, who respectfully dared Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., to put the comprehensive immigration reform bill on the floor to see whos right about a majority support existing in the lower chamber for the overhaul.

The two engaged in a conversation on the issue on the House floor a day after Democrats filed a discharge petition to force a vote on the immigration reform legislation. The petition will need buy-in from 218 lawmakers -- a long shot for Democrats -- to successfully force a floor vote.

Cantor said members of his caucus know the present immigration system is broken but that the serious deterioration in the trust factor with the White House to enforce the laws as they are on the books is whats preventing them from making the leap. He cited the Affordable Care Act as an example of the Obama administration changing policies regarding deadlines on a whim.

"That's not a good way to operate, Cantor said. Theres no interest in picking up a comprehensive bill like that if we cant trust that once the law is set the White House is going to implement the law as it stands.

Hoyer countered that the problem isnt a matter of trust, but whether the lower chamber is capable of acting.

What we can control is what we do, Hoyer said, adding that lawmakers can pass policy they believe is good. I believe its not passing because it is not put to the floor.

You may well be right [about a majority support not being there], the Maryland Democrat later added. Let the American people see that.

The Senate passed a comprehensive immigration reform bill last June, one similar to that being pushed by House Democrats. However, disagreements between Republicans and Democrats on how to make the restructuring occur -- even though both agree it is necessary -- are where things are at a standstill.

Even though the immigration legislation has been dead in the House for months now, Democrats see merit in keeping the issue in the news while on the campaign trail heading into the midterm elections. Still, they have said the issue transcends politics.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., reiterated those claims on Thursday while speaking to U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

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Immigration Reform: Hoyer Challenges House GOP To Prove To America There's No Support

Arguing that the votes to overhaul the broken system are there, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelsoi, D-Calif., is using the procedural tactic to gain the support of lawmakers to force House Speaker John Boehners hand on a floor vote.

Democrats have called for a vote on H.R. 15 for months, but even before it was first introduced, the House GOP leadership said it was dead on arrival. Thats because the bipartisan House bill is similar to one passed by the Senate last June, which included an earned pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants.

Pelosi said she will sign the petition.

However, Pelosi has expressed her doubts about the chances of success.

Well never get to 218 on the discharge petition, Pelosi told Sirius XM Radios Julie Mason. Because the Republicans generally wont sign, but the fact that it is there and the outside mobilization is saying all we want is a vote.

Despite the doomed reality of the procedure, immigration reform advocates and lawmakers say the pressure is on the Republicans. Earlier this year, House GOP leadership announced a set of principles they intended to use to end gridlock on the issue, only to retract them less than a week later. They cited a trust deficit between the White House and Republican House members as reasons for the continued delay.

But for those on the political right who publicly voiced support for immigration, supporters say this is their time to prove their commitment.

This is their chance to play a role in actually making that happen, said Rocio Saenz, executive vice president of the Service Employees International Union. This vote will also tell us exactly what side of the issue each member is on. Are they with the extremists in their caucus who want to block immigration reform at all costs, or are they with the millions of families who are suffering under our broken system?

Even faith-based community organizations are waiting to see where Republicans stand.

Original post:

Immigration Reform: House Dems File Discharge Petition Demanding Vote