Immigration reform hard to pass in 2014, but not impossible, advocate says

By Balitang America Staff, ABS-CBN North America Bureau

Jan. 9, 2014

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – One questions remains in the minds of many immigrants in America: Will immigration reform pass in 2014? Rep. Darrell Issa, the Republican lawmaker that drafted the high-skilled version of immigration — does not think so.

In a media interview, Issa said, “Comprehensive immigration is hard to do with the best environment between the executive branch and between the House and Senate. We don’t have the best opportunity. If we can find a compromise that is bipartisan on the 11 million undocumented workers. I think we begin to defuse some of the animosity. It doesn’t mean we get a bill passed for the next election.”

A few months ago, Issa introduced a bill that would grant undocumented immigrations working status for six years. Issa said six years is enough time for these immigrants to adjust to a more permanent status.

While Issa does not believe a comprehensive immigration reform will pass before 2015, he said House Speaker John Boehner will allow congress to vote on his bill this year.

Attorney David Leopold, past president and current counsel of the American Immigration Lawyers Association argued, “Nobody said that passing immigration reform was going to be easy. I’m not sure why Rep. Issa finds it necessary to announce that it’s a hard thing to do. Of course, it’s a hard thing to do. But the Senate did it, and they did it on a bipartisan basis, with Republicans and Democrats sitting down and hammering out — not a perfect bill, but a good bill. And there’s no reason why the House of Representatives cannot vote on a similar bill.”

Leopold pointed out that the only reason immigration has not passed is because Republican leaders like Issa and Boehner have refused for the full House to vote on the bill. “We need 218 votes to pass it. We have more than 218 votes,” he pointed out.

Leopold added that Issa’s bill does not do anything to fix America’s broken immigration system.

Whether immigration reform is passed through smaller pieces of legislation or through a comprehensive bill, Leopold said, “It should contain border security, path to earned citizenship for the undocumented, a reform of the visa system and employment verification to protect US workers and prevent unscrupulous employers from hiring and abusing undocumented workers.”