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by John Lantigua | March 25th, 2014

With immigration reform legislation blocked by the GOP leadership in the U.S. House, Democrats are trying a legislative maneuver to bring to the floor HR 15, a bill that resembles the comprehensive reform legislation passed by the Senate last June. The maneuver is called a discharge petition and it is a way to go around the committee process and bring a bill directly to the floor. The GOP controls the House Judiciary Committee and that is where immigration legislation is stuck. The problem for the minority Democrats is that they control 199 seats while Republicans hold 233 and it is doubtful they will attract enough GOP members to make it work. In fact, they may not attract any because even Republicans in favor of immigration reform wont anger their leadership by voting for the petition. Without much chance of success, what Democrats may be trying to accomplish is to demonstrate to their Latino supporters that it is, in fact, the Republicans who are blocking immigration reform. Republicans have said they are wary of passing immigration legislation because they dont trust President Barack Obama to enforce parts of any law he doesnt like. That position has angered some reform activists. Republicans can try to blame the president for the lack of progress on legislation, but their response to the discharge petition makes it clear that the obstacle to legislation is with them, said Frank Sharry, executive director of Americas voice, a pro-reform group. But not all reform activists are sympathetic to the Democrats maneuver. Cristina Jimenez of United We Dream launched an attack this week in The Huffington Post. Without dozens of Republicans on board, a discharge petition isnt a viable political strategy to break the logjam in Congress, Jimenez wrote. House Democrats should instead focus 100 percent of their energy on pressuring the White House to halt deportations They cannot simply seek political cover by gathering meaningless petition signatures.. Lately, many Latino political organizations have been voicing their discontent with the Democratic administration of President Barack Obama, because of the high number of undocumented people being deported almost 2 million since Obama took office in 2009. Obama won 71 percent of the Latino vote in 2012, but some leaders have warned Democrats they are risking Latino support if the deportations continue. We cannot continue to push legislative strategies with the slimmest of possibilities of success while our families are torn apart at a rate never before experienced, Jimenez wrote. The reckless enforcement machine presided over by President Obama exists not just because of Republican extremism and obstructionism, but also because of Democratic posturing and complicity.

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Tim Burke, Publisher, The Palm Beach Post.

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Immigration reform activists at odds on Democrat maneuver to bring bill to the House floor

CREATED Mar. 24, 2014

Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- Over the next few weeks, people across the country will be fasting to show their hunger for immigration reform.

On Monday, a demonstration was held outside republican Congressman Joe Heck's Las Vegas office.

Only four people stood, holding signs, calling for a comprehensive immigration reform bill. But they said they represent only a portion of the 40 people in the valley who pledged to fast for 24 hours to make a point.

"We want to see a pathway to citizenship for those who are already here. Again, those folks are in the shadows, they're afraid to become productive members of the society," said Rob Telles.

Telles said it's that fear that brought out only a few people on Monday, but he said many others support change.

He pointed to last week's meeting at North Las Vegas City Hall,where about 200 people packed the room at a hearing before democratic Congressman Steven Horsford, focused on comprehensive immigration reform.

The group didn't just stand in the parking lot on Monday, they tried to take their message to Congressman Heck, visiting his office upstairs. But hewasn't in.

Behind closed doors, staff did meet with the group.

"I think we were able to get what our viewpoints were on the table," said Emily Ross with Fast for Families by Immigration Reform for Nevada.

Originally posted here:

Immigration reform demonstration held at Joe Heck's office

Politics 2014 Election

A new survey could ease Republican fears that proceeding with immigration reform would alienate GOP voters.

The poll, conducted by Texas Republican firm Baselice & Associates and paid for by the Michael Bloomberg-sponsored pro-reform group Partnership for a New American Economy, found that there is no measurable drop in voter turnout when comparing the immigration positions of three Texas congressional Republicans. The poll focused on three districts with GOP incumbents: Rep. Sam Johnson, who is supportive of immigration reform, Rep. Lamar Smith, who is against it, and Rep. Kevin Brady, who is on the fence. Support of or opposition to immigration reform didnt impact voter support at the polls, according to the survey.

The results cut against Republican concerns that passing immigration reform will keep their base voters away from the polls this fall, and indicates that the economy and the health care reform law are the key issues driving voters.

What we saw in the polling was that Texas Republican primary voters werent motivated to go to the polls on the issue of immigration reformfor or against. They were far more motivated to vote on Obamacare, said John Feinblatt, who chairs the Partnership for a New American Economy. But when they were asked their views on immigration reform very specifically, they were overwhelmingly supportive. This strikes directly at the myth that conservative GOP primary voters are anti-immigration reform,

But despite the findings, it remains incredibly unlikely that lawmakers will proceed with immigration reform before the midterm elections. House Republicans have declined to take up the comprehensive immigration reform bill passed by the Senate last year. Immigration reform was the sole policy recommendation from the authors of the Republican Partys so-called autopsy after the GOPs humbling 2012 defeats. The authors argued passage was needed to maintain the long-term viability of the GOP.

The full poll results are below:

Originally posted here:

Poll: Immigration Reform Wont Hurt Republicans

WASHINGTON, March 25 (UPI) -- House Democrats called on Speaker John Boehner to pass an immigration overhaul that has been languishing in the House since October, because they've run out of patience.

"Two hundred seventy two days," said Democratic Caucus Chair Xavier Becerra of California. "That's how long it's been since the Senate passed on a bipartisan basis its immigration reform bill."

"Throughout that entire time, House Republican leadership has not permitted one single vote on a common-sense solution to immigration reform," he said. "Not one vote."

Becerra, who also appeared with Reps. Steven Horsford of Nevada, Joseph Crowley of New York and Judy Chu of California, said they would be circulating a discharge petition, in order to circumvent Boehner and force consideration of the measure.

"This is big, because we constantly hear those detractors of immigration reform say it's not good for our economy, it's not good for American workers, it's not a good deal for this country," Becerra said. "Their cheap talk is not good for this country, because they're keeping us from having $200 billion in deficit reduction, which we could use."

Becerra pointed to a letter from the Congressional Budget Office, sent Tuesday to Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, that found the bill -- the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act -- would loosen the bottleneck on legal immigration and provide a pathway to legal status for immigrants already in the country. It also would reduce federal budget deficits by $200 billion by 2024, and $900 billion in the decade after that.

"We have the votes," said Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev. "Now we just need a vote."

HR 15

Continued here:

House Dems urge vote on immigration overhaul

Alice Hernandez, an Elkhart resident, has been waiting 10 years for her husband to have the opportunity to come back to the United States. She's been taking on raising her 4 children, 7 grandchildren, and being the sole breadwinner of her family alone, while her husband waits in Mexico. "Financially, it would be a lot different. I wouldn't be worried about losing my home, putting food on the table, not worried about retirement," she says.

The immigration reform group, "Fast for Families" visited the office of Representative Jackie Walorski Monday, in hopes for her to bring about a vote on immigration reform. The group has usually met in Washington D.C. where they protest and fast outside the offices of congresspersons.

"Fast for Families" has decided to take it one step further, in hopes to raise awareness and bring about a vote sooner. The group departed from Los Angeles on February 24. They have two routes a northern and southern route. South Bend is one of the stops on the northern route.

Group member Susana Sandoval says she's been working with mothers and children who have been separated from their families because of immigration laws. The Hernandez family is one of those she is helping. "It's a form of violence. There are over 1,000 people that are being deported on a daily basis. We're asking for that first step forward. We're asking congressmen to take that one step forward in order to help keep America one family. Regardless of their party affiliation, people should be able to raise their family."

The group marched outside Walorski's office and had a news conference in front of their tour bus. Several immigrants shared their story of how proud they were to be a U.S. citizen, and how other immigrants are looking to be granted that same luxury. Rep. Walorski was not at her office, in fact her press secretary Brendon DelToro tells FOX28 she was on a flight to Washington D.C. as the event was taking place. The group delivered 500 petitions from across the country, and the local area, to her office.

South Bend Deputy Mayor Mark Neal was there to meet the protestors, and told them, "South Bend is the sister city to Mishawaka. We are in Mishawaka. South Bend stands behind all that you stand for, and myself and Mayor Pete Buttigieg believe this is an important issue everyone needs to be aware of." Sandoval spoke for "Fast for Families" and asked Mayor Neal to participate in the group's weekly fast. Each Wednesday, participants give up one or more meals in honor of families going through the troubles of immigration laws.

Rep. Walorski was not available for a phone interview, but DelToro released a statement saying, "When the House considers legislation related to immigration, Congresswoman Walorski will take a careful look at each bill that is offered. As always, she encourages Second District Hoosiers to contact our office to convey their opinions on this issue."

Tune into FOX28 News at 10PM to hear more from the spokespeople of "Fast for Families" and a full statement from Rep. Jackie Walorski.

See more here:

Immigration reform group rallies at Rep. Walorski's district office