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MVI 0780 Immigration Reform, Why?
Why not just grant all of the illegals a,"Green Card," once a," Green Card," is legally issues, the person that has the,"Green Card," is entitled to all of t...
By: Gabor Zolna
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Political Insiders Part 2 Immigration Reform this Year - Voters Of The Future
GOP stresses border security as first step Obama has eroded the trust needed to do big things. ... last shot at a major legislative achievement was compreh...
By: Disillusioned
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Political Insiders Part 2 Immigration Reform this Year - Voters Of The Future - Video
WASHINGTON -- Just a week after House Republicans breathed new life into chances for an immigration overhaul this year, Speaker John A. Boehner all but abandoned the effort Thursday, saying it would be difficult to get any legislation approved.
Boehners principles for immigration reform, unveiled during last weeks private GOP retreat, found a welcome audience in President Obama, further boosting hopes that a bipartisan compromise was within reach.
But Boehner received a tepid, sometimes hostile response from rank-and-file Republicans, who see little value in engaging in an issue that deeply divides them as they prepare for November midterm elections.
Realizing once again that he may be unable to move his majority, Boehner lowered expectations Thursday, backing away from an effort that had been central to his partys broader strategy to win Latino and minority voters.
I never underestimated the difficulty that moving forward would be, Boehner, of Ohio, said Thursday.
The speaker is facing similar difficulties in gaining support from the House's 218 Republicans for a unified strategy in dealing with the upcoming debt-ceiling bill. Voicing some exasperation with his party, Boehner joked, "If the Congress wanted to make [Mother Theresa] a saint and attach that to the debt ceiling, we probably couldn't get 218 Republican votes."
He nevertheless sought to shift blame away from his party and onto the White House. He portrayed Obama as a distrusted partner, especially after the president vowed during his State of the Union address to use his executive powers to advance policy goals on issues where Congress has deadlocked.
The American people, including many of my members, dont trust that the reforms that were talking about will be implemented as it was intended, Boehner said. Hes running around the country telling everyone hes going to keep acting on his own. Hes talking about his phone and his pen.
Theres widespread doubt whether this administration can be trusted, Boehner said. Its going to be difficult to move any immigration legislation until that changes.
The sudden reversal by Boehner is sure to draw criticism from the immigration community, including the growing Latino electorate that has abandoned the GOP in recent years.
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Speaker Boehner lowers expectations for immigration reform ...
J. Scott Applewhite / AP
House Speaker John Boehner is trying to corral his Republican conference on how to raise the debt ceiling.
House Speaker John Boehner said Thursday that he cant see a path forward on immigration reform and asked President Barack Obama to do more on the issue. Translation: The House isnt going to pass immigration reform this year but dont blame Republicans, blame Obama.
Listen, theres widespread doubt about whether this administration can be trusted to enforce our laws, Boehner said, citing Obamas administrative changes to the new health care reform law and his pledge to use executive orders to get around congressional logjams. Its going to be difficult to move any immigration legislation until that changes.
Just last week, Obama and Boehner had struck much more hopeful notes on immigration reform. The president purposefully didnt call out the GOP for inaction on a comprehensive Senate bill passed last year. And House Republican leaders released a set of principles that the president hailed as a promising start to potential negotiations.
So what changed in the past week? Here are five reasons why immigration reform is going nowhere fast in Washington.
The 2014 midterm elections
While roughly 60 percent of the House Republican conference expressed support for the leadership teams principles, there was not support for acting in an election year. Too many members worried that potential Tea Party primary opponents, or Democrats in November, could use their votes on immigration against them.
Trust
As Boehner noted, many his members felt they couldnt trust the president to negotiate in good faith, especially after his State of the Union promise to issue executive orders when Congress doesnt act. Obama already effectively imposed by executive order part of the DREAM Act in 2012, when he granted temporary legal status to undocumented immigrants who were brought to the country as children. Republicans worried he might skirt border security provisions in any potential deal that might pass Congress.
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Justaweek ago, House Republican leadersreleased a set of principles for an immigration overhaul, raising the expectation thatthey werefinally preparing to tackle the issue after months of inaction. But House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, suggested another long delay is imminent because the president cant be trusted to enforce existing laws.
This is an important issue in our country, its been kicked round forever and it needs to be dealt with, Boehner said. But, he added, members of Congress and the American people dont trust that the reform that were talking about will be implemented as it was intended to be. The president seems to change the healthcare law on a whim whenever it likesnow hes running all over the country telling everyone that hes going to keep acting on his own.
We are going to continue to discuss this issue with our members, but I think the presidents going to have to demonstrate to the American people and to my colleagues that he can be trusted to enforce the law as it is written, Boehner added.
When asked about Boehners comments, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said, I think the presidents record speaks for itself. He pointed to enhanced border enforcement and surveillance technology. Left unsaid but something of which pro-citizenship activists are keenly aware of is that the president hasdeported record numbers of immigrantscaught living illegally in the United States.
Immigrant advocates havestepped up pressure on the president to unilaterally halt deportations, a move the president has resisted because he says its well beyond his authority. Carney repeated that point in his briefingWednesday, telling reporters, Theres no alternative to comprehensive immigration reform passing throughCongress. It requires legislation.
Lynn Tramonte,deputydirector of the pro-citizenshiporganizationAmericas Voice, noted the high deportation numbers in response to Boehners comments. Just one week after issuing their standards for immigration reform, the House Republicans are already seeking to lower expectations about passing legislation this year and testing out excuses.Republicans need to realize this isnt about Obama its about them, she said.
Still, Boehner is far from the first Republican to make this argument. Last, Sen. MarcoRubio, R-Fla. one of the architects of the Senates comprehensive immigration reform bill -- said the administrations handling of the attack on the 2012 attack on American diplomats in Benghazi and the increased scrutiny of conservative organizations by some employees of the Internal Revenue Service were proof they wouldnt enforce the law.
I dont know if it can happen under this administration given its lack of willingness to enforce the law. Its a real impediment, Rubiosaid at a breakfast hosted by the Wall Street Journal.
Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., who has been one of the more vocal supporters of immigration reform among House Republicans,said he doubted whether an immigration bill could pass in 2014because of Republican agreement on one big issue: We don't trust the president to enforce the law.
Boehners comments follow on a gathering of conservative congressman yesterday where several members said the GOP should wait to act on immigration legislation until after the midterm elections, when Republicans could gain control of the Senate.
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