Free Republic

Speaker John Boehner’s decision to hire a well-known advocate of immigration reform is raising concerns among the House’s most ardent opponents of legislation. Boehner this week announced he was bringing on Rebecca Tallent, a former chief of staff to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) who has worked on multiple comprehensive proposals that would provide a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. The move drew strong praise from immigration reform advocates, who viewed it as a clear signal Boehner intends to bring a bill to the House floor in 2014. But for some opponents of an immigration overhaul, the hire is seen...

Speaker Boehner’s recent comment that there would be no conference on the Senate bill appears to have been a lawyerly evasion. He has now hired Rebecca Tallent to “lead immigration efforts for the House,” in the words of the press release. Until tomorrow, she’s director of immigration policy for the pro-amnesty Bipartisan Policy Center. She was McCain’s chief of staff, directing his participation in the 2005-07 amnesty battle. Before that she worked for Representative Jim Kolbe, also pushing amnesty.

Key senators yesterday announced that they will introduce a broad immigration overhaul with a multistep path to citizenship for illegal aliens and a new program for foreign workers that could increase yearly legal immigration by 400,000 people. The bill — sponsored by Sen. John McCain, Arizona Republican, and Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, Massachusetts Democrat — also calls for the government to produce a border security strategy, and encourages Mexico to crack down on immigrant smugglers and take steps to control its own borders. Sponsors said it is not an amnesty because it would require illegal aliens to pay all regular...

House Speaker John A. Boehner announced Tuesday that he has hired a longtime advocate of legalizing illegal immigrants to be an adviser, signaling that the Republican is still intent on trying to pass an immigration bill during this congressional session. Immigrant rights advocates cheered the move as a sign of Mr. Boehner’s dedication to action. Those who want a crackdown on illegal immigration said the top Republican in the House has moved closer to embracing amnesty by hiring Rebecca Tallent, a former staffer for Sen. John McCain and fellow Arizona Republican Jim Kolbe. “Tallent’s hiring suggests he really does still...

U.S. Speaker John Boehner may be signaling he's willing to move on immigration reform by hiring an expert on the issue, a fellow Republican says. Rebecca Tallent, director of immigration policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington, was set to start as a new Boehner assistant Wednesday, The Hill newspaper reported. Former Gov. Haley Barbour, R-Miss., is co-chairman of the center's immigration task force. Barbour said Boehner's decision to hire Tallent was "affirmation of his strong desire to move legislation in 2014," the newspaper reported. The Hill said Boehner, R-Ohio, often has expressed his commitment to immigration reform, but...

Foes of illegal immigration accused House Speaker John Boehner of signaling his willingness to consider an "amnesty" bill after his office hired a longtime policy aide who has advocated legalizing undocumented immigrants. The speaker's office announced Tuesday that it had hired Rebecca Tallent as a point person for immigration issues. Tallent previously was director of immigration policy for the Bipartisan Policy Center -- but before that, worked for Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and played a role in the drafting of the 2006 and 2007 immigration reform bills, which provided a pathway to legal status for some illegal immigrants.

Speaker John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, is taking on a new and formidable immigration policy director, a sign that he could be more serious about passing immigration legislation than his critics suggest. Rebecca Tallent, who currently serves as director of immigration policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, will join Boehner’s staff on Wednesday. Before joining the BPC, Tallent held several senior staff positions with Sen. John McCain, including chief of staff. During her time with McCain, she helped the Arizona Republican draft a handful of immigration overhaul measures, including the last big push McCain made with the late Sen. Edward M....

Rep. Sue Myrick (R-N.C.) let slip a bombshell disclosure at a news conference today to announce a bill targeting states that allow illegal aliens to get drivers licenses. During the Q&A with reporters, Myrick gave as a reason for proposing the bill the recent capture of three al Qaeda terrorists at the U.S.-Mexico border. A check of Google News turned up no references to this incident, yet Myrick stated this was a 'given fact.' No reporter asked her about this revelation, but it was noted at the end of a Charlotte Observer article by Tim Funk. Two Representatives from North...