Bob Goodlatte: Immigration Reform Doesn't Need Path To Citizenship

Ianus · 02-21-2013, 02:26 PM

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/0...n_2734024.html

Quote:

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee came out explicitly this week against a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants currently in the United States, another sign of the tension between Democrats and Republicans on the issue.

"People have a pathway to citizenship right now: It's to abide by the immigration laws, and if they have a family relationship, if they have a job skill that allows them to do that, they can obtain citizenship," Goodlatte told NPR. "But simply someone who broke the law, came here, [to] say, 'I'll give you citizenship now,' that I don't think is going to happen."

The problem is that many immigrants in the U.S. don't have a pathway to citizenship now, or if they do the wait time makes becoming even a legal permanent resident a long haul. As Mother Jones pointed out in a quiz this week, there are avenues for legal immigration, but many don't apply to would-be immigrants or undocumented people already in the country. A USA Today-Pew poll released on Thursday found that most prefer President Barack Obama's immigration plan, which includes a pathway, to the Republican approach.

Goodlatte has previously said that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) may be disingenuous about his support for comprehensive immigration reform if he insists on a pathway to citizenship.

"When [Reid] says there has to be a path to citizenship, I wonder whether he's serious about doing immigration reform," he told USA Today in early February. "You have to come at this with a willingness to look at all the options and find the common ground."

Goodlatte told NPR he believes addressing the issue of undocumented immigrants is important, even though he argued against a road to citizenship.

"This is a broken immigration system; it's had problems for a long time," he said. "And work needs to be done, both in terms of reforming legal immigration programs and in terms of enforcing our immigration laws and addressing what happens to the 10 million or more people who are not lawfully in the United States."

If immigration reform bills go through the typical process, Goodlatte could be crucial to shaping the House's legislation. The Judiciary Committee handles all immigration bills, and although it could be bypassed, Goodlatte has argued against operating outside regular order on so contentious an issue.

Other Judiciary Committee members have made similar statements. Rep. Raul Labrador (R-Idaho), also speaking to NPR, said earlier this month that a pathway to citizenship as part of comprehensive immigration reform wouldn't pass the House.

"The people that came here illegally knowingly -- I don't think they should have a path to citizenship," he said. "If you knowingly violated our law, you violated our sovereignty, I think we should normalize your status but we should not give you a pathway to citizenship.

But Democrats see a pathway as an absolute necessity, as do groups advocating for comprehensive immigration reform. None of them think it should be automatic -- draft legislation from the White House would require waits of about 13 years, The Washington Post reported -- but they argue that keeping undocumented immigrants from becoming citizens would create a permanent underclass of people unable to affect their children's education and other important issues.

A bill from the Senate "gang of eight" would also include a pathway to citizenship. Although the group has yet to introduce legislation, the framework released last month calls for provisional status for undocumented immigrants, followed by green cards once certain border provisions are met. The hope is that by tying green cards to border security -- which would allow undocumented immigrants to eventually become citizens -- the senators can avoid claims that the bill would amount to "amnesty."

Texdaddreamer · 02-21-2013, 05:24 PM

Immigration reform does not need Goodlatte !

j83 · 02-21-2013, 05:56 PM

In a way I think it's practicable.

Normalize the status of undocumenteds and then they can resolve their pathway to citizenship through established channels, ie, family petition or job offer. Through this process they won't be applied the 10-yr ban when adjusting.

hgr1915 · 02-21-2013, 06:08 PM

If your from Mexico or Philippines , existing channels can take up to 20 years?

Ianus · 02-21-2013, 06:09 PM

@J83,I was thinking of a practical immigration plan along those lines.

A permanently renewable conditional residency card where the conditions can only be removed by an immediate relative US citizen or permanent resident or job offer in order for the individual to be able to stay permanently.

The timeline for which the conditions can be removed is dependent on if the individual came before or after 1997.It would take 5 years for those who came before and 10 years for those who came after since those are technically the immigration bars.

j83 · 02-21-2013, 07:55 PM

Exactly Ianus. Yeah Mexico or Philippines have longer wait times but if your conditional status grants you the right to work, live, and travel, I don't really see much difference than LPR aside from the ability to apply for citizenship.

Legal status is better than nothing at all. Pull the deal either further right or left and the fragile negotiations will blow apart.

Texdaddreamer · 02-21-2013, 08:49 PM

What about people with not family and/or special skills? They won't be able to get citizenship ever other that through marriage. Suppose a Husband is here waiting to be legalized to petition for his wife and/or kids ( I Know a lot of ppl on that condition).

IamAman · 02-22-2013, 12:02 AM

Not having a path to residency (I think this is a better term) doesn't solve the problem completely and just kicks the can down the road for future politicians to deal with when in 10 years you have many legal immigrants who have no way to get green cards or be citizens and will be 2nd class citizens.

Granted, being legal is better than not being legal, but I think the fear Republicans have, and rightfully so is that they know how badly they've treated immigrants in the last 15 years. How many laws have they passed to take away drivers licenses, attempt to make police ask for immigration status, ask apartments not to lease to undocumented immigrants, etc. etc. etc. Republicans know that we won't ever forget what they did and know that if we ever get a chance to vote some day, their party will be completely marginalized.

mmohs2 · 02-22-2013, 02:13 AM

Another twat, this guy doesn't what he is talking about

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Bob Goodlatte: Immigration Reform Doesn't Need Path To Citizenship