Posted on 01/31/2014 7:58:35 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
CAMBRIDGE, Md. – House Republicans meeting privately at their retreat on Thursday were split on whether the leadership should forge ahead with immigration legislation this year, according to people in the room.
After Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) opened the floor to members following his release of leadership’s “principles” for immigration reform, dozens of members stood up to speak, and the responses fell into four broad categories, said Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (Fla.), a leading Republican advocate for immigration reform.
Some conservative lawmakers, like immigration reform foe Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), said the party should do nothing. Others like Diaz-Balart and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) offered full support for the leadership principles and a green light for moving on to legislation.
But a large contingent of members stood up to urge caution and voiced concerns not so much with the substance of the principles as with the timing of pushing immigration reform in an election year and under a Democratic president they don’t trust to enforce the law.
The principles back legal status for undocumented immigrants but only after they have met certain requirements and unspecified “enforcement triggers” have been put in place. Boehner said the standards were “as far as we are willing to go,” and then opened up the floor to members, allowing them one minute each to weigh in on the proposal.
Distrust of President Obama, Diaz-Balart said in a phone interview, was “the biggest issue” that Republicans raised.
“I think we can get there, but that’s the biggest challenge,” he said. “We got a lot [of pushback] on the timing and a lot on the trust issue.
“If we can’t give people confidence that it’s enforceable,” Diaz-Balart added, “then we have a serious problem.”
The leadership principles sought to head off that concern.
“Faced with a consistent pattern of administrations of both parties only selectively enforcing our nation’s immigration laws, we must enact reform that ensures that a president cannot unilaterally stop immigration enforcement,” the principles state.
And toward the end of the closed-door meeting, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), stood up to argue that legislation could be written in such a way to ensure enforcement and that Congress would have other options if an administration fell short, Diaz-Balart said.
Several Republicans in the room said the response from the rank-and-file was not surprising and that the people who stood up to voice concerns were “predictable.”
Boehner emphasized in the meeting that no decisions had been made about whether to move forward on legislation, and the leaders are likely to continue talking and working to build support in the coming weeks.
Earlier on Thursday, the House GOP campaign chief, Rep. Greg Walden (Ore.), said that any floor vote on immigration legislation was “probably months out” and would therefore come after primary election deadlines that are worrying some lawmakers.
While Diaz-Balart had previously hoped to act earlier in the year, he said Thursday, “I don’t think things are ready to move quicker than that.”
In the one-page blueprint, House Republicans explicitly rule out a “special path to citizenship,” but they say that it is in the nation’s interest for people who entered the country illegally to come forward and register with the government without fear of deportation.
“Our national and economic security depend on requiring people who are living and working here illegally to come forward and get right with the law,” the GOP standards say. “There will be no special path to citizenship for individuals who broke our nation’s immigration laws — that would be unfair to those immigrants who have played by the rules and harmful to promoting the rule of law.
“Rather, these persons could live legally and without fear in the U.S., but only if they were willing to admit their culpability, pass rigorous background checks, pay significant fines and back taxes, develop proficiency in English and American civics, and be able to support themselves and their families (without access to public benefits).”
The Republicans say that “criminals, gang members and sex offenders” would not be eligible for legal status.
“Finally, none of this can happen before specific enforcement triggers have been implemented to fulfill our promise to the American people that from here on, our immigration laws will indeed be enforced,” the principles state.
The Republicans do not say what specific triggers must be meant.
Children who were brought into the country illegally “through no fault of their own” by their parents would be eligible for legal residence and citizenship.
The document also calls for strengthened border and interior security, a biometric visa-tracking system, a new E-Verify system for employers, reforms to the high-skilled visa system and a temporary worker program.
HOW ABOUT BLUE SLIPPING IT?
The Rats have to laughing their asses off. They are staring into the abyss of an epic beat down in November, and the GOP is going to save them by doing THE ONE THING guaranteed to infuriate the base and make them stay home.
You want enforcement? Then allow state and private prosecutions of offender.
These people will delay a vote on this until after the elections. Don’t fall for it!
Well, that's why they call 'em the Stupid Party. This will cause/is causing a Civil War within the GOP and will mean the end of the GOP.
So be it.
I agree!
There's only one answer. The invaders self-deport, or they're never allowed in the US again. Unfair competition is ended with tariffs. Anyone who abets them with jobs or providing government services gets fined and given a criminal record. Let the free marketplace sort out matching US citizens with employment opportunities.
Yeah. I can barely contain my rage.
This was the major reason I quit registering Republican in 06.
I was a little kid in Chicago handing out Goldwater literature, was a Young Republican for Nixon, voted for Ford in my first election and and voted GOP ever since. It’s getting harder and harder. I stood in the voting booth for 10 minutes before I could force myself to pull the lever for McCain. I almost stayed home last time. If they pull this crap, I will stay home, it’s pointless.
Boehner, Cantor and Ryan do not represent us. They represent those trying to impoverish and destroy us.
They are the enemy.
How many amnesties do we have to have before the immigration laws are enforced ??
Are work visas even issued, anymore? Or, do we just open the gate and hand out EBT cards as they’re passing through?
Sample Letter for US Representatives:
Dear Honorable US Representative ...
Sir, I am extremely upset with this latest sham amnesty immigration proposals the US House of Representatives is currently considering.
Words cannot express my anger at the utter foolishness of these proposals. Rewarding criminal behavior encourages more criminal behavior. People cannot begin their careers in America by breaking the law. Further, it hurts minimum wage American workers by causing them to compete with millions of foreign workers. I am dismayed at those in Congress who lack the understanding of this critical issue to our nation.
I like most Americans are in favor of legal immigration for those who are willing to learn our language, culture, and invest the time and money required to become a U.S. citizen - but not for those who willfully break on our laws, spit on our country, demand benefits, and are not willing to go through proper channels to become an American citizen.
What is the solution? It won’t be easy because we didn’t get into this situation overnight. I believe we need to do the following immediately:
1) Secure our borders
2) Enforce existing law
3) Not allow any amnesty provisions of any kind
4) Improve our visa system
5) Prosecute and fine those businesses which knowingly employ illegal workers
6) Give law enforcement officials the necessary resources and authority to combat illegal immigration
7) Deport illegal aliens violating the law after being fingerprinted, photographed, iris scanned, charged with a felony, and their information placed in a national database.
8) Send a bill for deportation/prison costs to the embassy of the illegal immigrant’s national origin.
9) 2nd time and thereafter repeat offenses by illegal aliens should be sent to work prison camps for a maximum of 6 months - building the southern fence/wall.
10) Seize and liquidate all assets from illegal aliens and use the proceeds for our military and local law enforcement.
11) Must not give illegal immigrants government welfare benefits of any kind, including Social Security
12) Designate English as our national language
13) Change the 14th Amendment regarding birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants
14) Mandatory proof of citizenship for voting
15) Mandatory proof of legal status for DL or ANY government issued ID or benefits card
16) Put pressure on the Mexican government and other nations to reduce illegal immigration to America.
17) Encourage only legal immigration and citizenship to for those wanting to become Americans.
These ENFORCED changes would strengthen America greatly.
Please consider voting against any illegal immigration amnesty bills should they come before the full House floor.
Sincerely and respectfully,
This news is actually interesting in the “why is the GOP doing this” perspective. The consensus, that I tend to agree with, is that immigration reform is suicidal for the GOP.
But most Americans don’t trust Obama. The issue being presented here is one of ... not trusting Obama. I wonder if the GOP is trying to thread a needle here: stop immigration reform and take it off the table in a way that neutralizes it as a political issue, by using it as a weapon to highlight Obama’s untrustfullness ...
What will the very hated, and self-servingly EXEMPT
treasonous Congress decide this time?
SSDD
“physically accountable “ works for me. While there might not be a direct way to jail an incompetent, lying, politician when he gets back home it is indeed possible to put enough fear into his double-dealing butt so that he doesn’t want to come back home. Start off with sueing them for non-performance and work it up from there. Make their mizzerable lives absolutely difficult.
Hmmmm...not trust Obama!
Well, that’s not a revelation - it’s a fact.
Anyway, the only way to structure this relates to securing the border with a non-political committee (if that is even possible) to perform the certification that the border is secure.
There are many wonderful people that I’ve meet - illegals from Mexico, but the fact remains that they need to go back home and apply to immigrate here - if that is their wish. We have already got a huge issue with low skilled workers not being able to find full-time, long term employment - adding millions to the lower end would be a disaster for them and down the line for all of us.
From the article: “But a large contingent of members stood up to urge caution and voiced concerns not so much with the substance of the principles as with the timing of pushing immigration reform in an election year and under a Democratic president they don’t trust to enforce the law.”
Or said another way, the time isn’t perfect for shoving it down our throats.
I told my Congressman that if he caves on Amnesty, I will vote for the democrat just to make sure he gets tossed out in November. Then I will run for his seat in 2016.
Understandable----b/c amnesty is Obamacare w/ Spanish subtitles.
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