You don't seem to understand how Washington works. Both parties want an immigration bill. They are willing to compromise if each party gets what it wants. The majority of the GOP considers the increase in the guest worker program its most important objective. The big money donors have spoken.
The letter, which calls for legal status for the 11 million immigrants here illegally, begins with a simple appeal: We write to urge you to take action to fix our broken immigration system.
To fix our immigration system we need meaningful reforms that will (1) secure our borders, (2) provide a legal way for U.S.-based companies to hire the workers they need while making it impossible to hire workers here illegally, and (3) take control of our undocumented immigration problem by providing a path to legal status for undocumented immigrants who pay penalties and back taxes, pass criminal background checks, and go to the back of the line, the letter says.
Send Reid a bill with zero citizenship and then send House home for holidays. That would be fun to watch.
You don't seem to get it. The Reps are working on four immigration bills--a piecemeal approach. I know for a fact that Goodlatte and Cantor are getting ready to introduce their Dreamer bill. The Judiciary committee has already passed the STEM bill--only Steve King voted against it. The idea is to pass these bills, including a border security bill, and send them to the floor for passage. They will pass with the majority of Reps voting for them. They will then be bundled up and sent to conference with the Senate. And then the bill will be voted on by both Houses. If you believe folks like Lou Barletta and Steve King, this is what is in the works.
No immigration bill out of the House is the only way we can be guaranteed this won't happen. The pressure on the GOP congressmen from corporations is enormous.
The idea that the Reps would even consider an immigration bill now demonstrates how much pressure they are under. The RNC meeting that was held this Spring in MA recommended that the GOP support a comprehensive immigration reform bill. Priebus supports it. 14 Rep senators voted for the Gang of 8 bill including so-called conservatives like Rubio. Paul Ryan is the point man in the House along with Goodlatte and Cantor.
So the question is why would the GOP leadership support immigration bills that have no chance of passing even within their caucus and divide their voter base? The answer is obvious. It is right out there in the open. The GOP leadership believes there is a real chance it will pass.
Lets see how this develops then revisit.