Mediaboss Marketing

Pro-immigration reform Republicans say there's a better chance that Congress will produce an immigration overhaul if their party wins control of the upper chamber in November.

GOP lawmakers say that with Republicans in charge of both chambers, leadership in the House would have a negotiating partner across the Capitol they could trust.

With the caveat that it's a very difficult issue, I think the likelihood is better if Republicans take the Senate, said Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.), a leading GOP voice for immigration reform.

I think there would certainly be greater trust between the House and Senate in agreeing on something, said Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Calif.), who like Diaz-Balart supports providing a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. This is an American issue. So I expect this party to come together on it. And I'm going to continue driving it.

Another key factor for Republicans is the 2016 election.

Hispanics fled the GOP in the last two presidential cycles, and Republicans have openly worried that the immigration debate is turning off Latinos to their party. The next two years would be the last chance for the GOP to take action on immigrationbefore the partys next presidential nominee faces voters.

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) made an offhand remark during a speech last week at the American Enterprise Institute about the importance of moving immigration reform.

Our legal system is broken, our border isnt secure, and weve got the problem of those who are here without documents," Boehner said. It needs to be fixed. Were a nation of immigrants. The sooner we do it, the better off the country would be.

To be sure, the odds are stacked against comprehensive immigration reform that would include a path to citizenship for undocumented workers something Obama and congressional Democrats demand but that conservatives deride as amnesty for people who broke the law.

The immigration bill approved by the Senate last year included language that would allow undocumented immigrants to apply for lawful permanent residency once a number of border security enforcement measures are in place. Those measures include completing 700 miles of fencing, hiring nearly 40,000 full-time Border Patrol agents and certifying that employers are verifying workers' legal status.

Link:
Supporters say immigration law could pass with a GOP Senate