by It was quite a day for immigration reform in the nation’s Capitol. Just two weeks after the Senate passed the comprehensive immigration reform bill with an overwhelming number of votes, the momentum on immigration reform has slowed down, and proponents of legislation were forcefully making their case today.
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus met with President Obama and Vice President Biden to discuss the best way forward for reform. At the meeting, President Obama told Latino legislators that he is considering taking a more public role in urging the House to pass reform than he did with the Senate. Although he didn’t lay out a legislative strategy, Rep. Ruben Hinojosa (D-Texas) said that the President is considering traveling to back the legislation.
In a statement, Hinojosa said that the “President made clear passage of a comprehensive immigration reform bill is a priority of his Administration.”
Senator Menendez (D-NJ) said he was pleased with the President’s plan to go directly to the American people.
“I was pleased to hear that the President’s public strategy will include speaking directly to the American people about the importance of comprehensive immigration reform with a clear pathway to citizenship while underscoring the vast economic benefits of this common sense legislation,” he said in a statement.
In the meantime, House Republicans held a closed-door meeting in the Capitol basement on the issue. At issue was how the divided House Republican Conference should follow up and address the recently-passed Senate immigration bill.
House leaders reaffirmed their opposition to the Senate bill in a statement following the special conference, highlighting their intent to pursue a piecemeal approach to reform.
“Rather than take up the flawed legislation rushed through the Senate, House committees will continue their work on a step-by-step, common-sense approach to fixing what has long been a broken system,” said leaders including Speaker Boehner, Majority Leader Eric Cantor, and Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte said in a statement.
The pathway to citizenship has emerged as the key point of contention on reform. While Republicans in the Senate have acknowledged the need for a pathway to citizenship, Republicans in the House believe enforcement should come before anything else.
The stark divisions within the Republican party were on full display with dividing views presented this morning by former President George W. Bush and Republican Rep. Raul Labrador.
Speaking at a naturalization ceremony for 20 new U.S. citizens at his presidential library, Bush urged lawmakers to reach a “positive resolution” on the issue. Although he did not get involved in the specific politics of the debate, the former President highlighted the benefits of immigrants and pushed lawmakers to “keep a benevolent spirit in mind” as they consider reform. He said Wednesday morning that he believes it is possible to welcome citizens and abide by the rule of law.
“America can be a lawful society and a welcoming society at the same time,” he said.
Proving that the immigration debate makes strange bedfellows, a White House staffer tweeted out the video of Bush speaking at his President and called it a “great” video.
Great #immigrationreform video from @TheBushCenter http://t.co/huH0tiBgRD #immigrationpower
— Macon Phillips (EOP) (@macon44) July 10, 2013
Meanwhile Republican Raul Labrador fell into another category of Republicans- those who think the Senate’s 13-year path to legalization and the accompanying border measures are not sufficient to ensure illegal immigration does not take place.
In a heated appearance on MSNBC’s Now with Alex Wagner, Labrador argued that Democrats are the ones to blame if immigration reform fails.
“Chuck Schumer said yesterday that any bill without a path to citizenship is dead in the Senate. If Chuck Schumer is not going to accept anything then he’s the one who is killing immigration reform,” Labrador said on MSNBC.
Labrador is seen as a key Republican in the House when it comes to championing immigration reform. The conservative Puerto Rican left the House “Group of Eight” saying he could not come to an agreement with a bipartisan group.
Meanwhile, pro-immigration reform activists took to Capitol Hill to voice their side of the debate. Taking place on Capitol Hill, nearly 500 DREAMers and parents participated in an “aspirational citizenship ceremony,” urging legislators to reform the immigration system and provide citizenship for the undocumented. The ceremony took place close to where House Republican leaders were meeting to discuss immigration reform.
