Los Angeles Times
By Lisa Moscaro
July 21, 2013
House
Speaker John A. Boehner said Sunday that fixing the nation’s fiscal
problems, not its immigration laws, was his top priority, as the most
comprehensive proposal in a generation to overhaul the immigration
system languishes in the Republican-controlled House.
Republicans
are unlikely to approve any immigration-related bills before they leave
Washington at the end of the month for the August recess. Many top GOP
leaders, however, believe addressing the issue is vital to the party’s
ability to remain relevant among voters, including the growing Latino
electorate. And influential business leaders and religious groups
aligned with Republicans are prepared to turn up the heat in public
campaigns to prod them to act.
Boehner,
however, has appeared unswayed by the political momentum behind the
bipartisan Senate bill, and even after talking last week with President
Obama he instead wants the House to take its time.
The
speaker also dismissed critics who have said this Congress has been
among the most unproductive in years and defended the House’s decision
to hold dozens of votes to repeal the nation’s 2010 healthcare law —
bills that are almost certain never to become law.
“We should not be judged on how many new laws we create. We ought to be judged on how many laws that we repeal,” he said.
At
the same time, Boehner said he remained “optimistic” Congress could
deal with the nation’s fiscal problems and “do something to fix our
fiscal situation.”
Legislation
to fund the government and avoid a federal shutdown will be at the top
of the agenda when lawmakers return in the fall from the August recess.
Funding for federal operations expires Sept. 30.
The
speaker has struggled to lead his often unruly majority and declined
Sunday to get in front of them on the centerpiece of the bipartisan
Senate-passed immigration bill – the 13-year path to citizenship for
the 11 million immigrants living in the country without legal status.
Many GOP House members have few minority voters in their districts and
do not see the issue as a priority.
“If I come out and say I'm for this and I'm for that, all I'm doing is making my job harder,” Boehner said.
Supporters
of the immigration overhaul said the Republican leader’s decision to
slow-walk the issue comes at political risk to the party. “The
Republicans have a decision to make: They can stay out of touch and in
denial or they can get this done,” Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Los Angeles)
said recently.
This
week, a House committee is set to debate a more limited pathway to citizenship for immigrants brought to the country as minors – a proposal
Democrats and immigration advocates oppose as insufficient.
The
“Kids Act,” being formed by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.),
gives Republicans a way to ease into the idea of legalizing those who
are in the country illegally without embracing the broader path that
most Republicans still oppose. The bill promises to be substantially
different from the Dream Act – legislation included in the Senate bill that gives young immigrants an expedited citizenship path if they attend college or join the military.
Boehner
embraced Cantor’s proposal as a matter of “fairness” last week – saying
youths without legal status should not be punished because their
parents entered the country illegally or stayed on expired visas.
But
many of the "Dreamers," young people who could benefit by the act, said
they are not willing to leave their parents in legal limbo at a time
when the Senate bill provides a broader path for almost all immigrants
in the country to become legal.
“The
‘Kids Act’ is just childish games by House Republicans,” Cesar Vargas,
director of a coalition that advocates for young immigrants, said
recently. “It pits Dreamers against our families.”
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
No comments:
Post a Comment