House Republican leaders are preparing for the first time to endorse legal status for many of the 11 million people living in the U.S. illegally, a step that could jump-start the moribund immigration debate.
As early as next week, House Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio) and other GOP leaders will release a one-page set of principles outlining how they hope to overhaul the immigration system, people familiar with their plans say. It will stop short of offering the sort of path to citizenship endorsed by the Senate, but represents a major step toward what immigration advocates and Democrats have long sought.
The issue has divided Republicans, forcing House leaders to navigate between GOP forces that oppose anything that looks like amnesty, and others who believe it is both unrealistic and politically foolish to expect illegal immigrants to go home.
Mr. Boehner and his team plan to circulate the principles in hopes of building support among rank-and-file lawmakers, according to people familiar with the plans. The speaker aims to release the document publicly ahead of the State of the Union speech on Jan. 28, when President Barack Obama is expected to renew his call for Congress to pass immigration legislation.
Rep. Lee Terry (R., Neb.), one of many Republicans leaders aim to win over, said House leaders' approach might help win GOP support for an overhaul.
"If it doesn't lead to a pathway to citizenship, I think you will get more people to at least embrace that or be OK with that," he said. But he added: "It will still be a very difficult sell."
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The new principles will envision a legal process by which illegal immigrants can admit guilt and pay fines and any back taxes, and then gain the right to live and work in the U.S. and travel abroad. It will insist that no legalization provisions take effect until border security and other enforcement measures are in place, people familiar with the draft said...Read the full story HERE.
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5 comments:
I'm hoping this is just a strategy on the GOP's part to shut the Democrats up and keep them busy.
IMHO, a winning strategy for Republicans in 2014 is OMAMACARE, OBAMACARE, and OBAMACARE.
We don't need to Change the subject with immigration.
hopefully these principles will be a bases for a LONG...LONG..LONG..series of talks and negotiations that will stretch WAY BEYOND the 2014 elections.
IN THE MEAN TIME..on the front burner are the HORRORS of ObamaMESS..more cancellations and horror stories to SET THE TONE for November.
Good strategy Bosman. You have to at least pretend to give a damn about the nation's problems, rather than just stand there, saying 'no'.
About time for CIR!
Can't put your eggs all in one basket. Ask WIllard.
A true and non-phoney Republican can grasp that obamacare is THE problem. And with that Democrat Senate, no bill like immigration or obamacare will be solved. Democrats ignore the Law anyway. And when writing a bill, after Boehner and the Democrats are through with it it will be the OPPOSITE of what the House passed.
No to letting obama use the nuclear option of a government shut down to make his beloved power grab from the legislative branch, the law writing powers, so he can act as a dictator completely ignoring Congress like his buddies Erdogan and Muslim Brotherhood's Morsi in Egypt.
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