Politico
By Seung Min Kim
April 22, 2014
Two
House Republicans from Illinois are endorsing some sort of legal status
for immigrants in the country illegally, adding renewed GOP support for
immigration reform
efforts that have come to a standstill on Capitol Hill.
The
statements from Illinois GOP Reps. Aaron Schock and Adam Kinzinger come
in twin video testimonials that will be aired during an event this
afternoon in Chicago with
former House Speaker Dennis Hastert – a rally meant to push fellow
Republicans toward an immigration overhaul. The videos were provided to
Politico in advance of Tuesday’s event, hosted by the Illinois Business
Immigration Coalition.
“Quite
frankly, I think if a man or a woman likes their American job, wherever
they were born, they should be able to keep that job,” Schock says in
the video. “We need
a clear path to citizenship for workers who are already here and a fair
and efficient on-ramp for those who want to come here.”
Schock,
who has expressed support for a pathway to citizenship before, made the
economic case for reforming the immigration system, arguing that
various industries throughout
Illinois – such as agriculture – face serious hurdles in trying to hire
immigrant workers legally.
And
though Kinzinger doesn’t explicitly endorse a shot at citizenship for
those in the United States illegally, he called for a way to find a
legal status for them.
“We
must work hard to come to an agreement on how to bring undocumented
workers out of the shadows, legally entering the work force and becoming
part of the American melting
pot that makes this country great,” Kinzinger says in his testimonial.
“However, if we do not adequately secure our borders, we could be facing
these same problems a few years down the road, which is why this must
be the first step of the reform process.”
Kinzinger,
a veteran who served in the U.S. Air Force, also argues that for young
undocumented immigrants who want to serve in the military, “we should
thank them with
legal status.” That debate has become especially charged in recent
weeks, with Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Calif.)’s effort to include a measure
that would allow that in the must-pass defense authorization bill.
While
the comments do indicate still some appetite for immigration reform
within the House GOP ranks, the broader conference remains largely
opposed to taking up an overhaul
of immigration laws this year and is still deeply divided on some of
the policy fundamentals, including what to do with millions of
immigrants who are in the country illegally.
Chances
remain low that the Republican-led House will take up immigration
reform this year, but Tuesday’s event in Chicago is an effort to try to
change that. Key Illinois
GOP political figures including Hastert, gubernatorial candidate Bruce
Rauner and two former governors – Jim Edgar and James Thompson – will
appear with several Illinois business leaders to pressure their fellow
Republicans to do immigration reform.
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
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