Legislator: Immigration reform to clear House this summer

Too good to be true?

by Sandra Lilley, @sandralilley
5:34 pm on 02/14/2013
A member of Congress close to negotiations in the House is confident a bipartisan immigration reform bill will pass this summer. “It will include a pathway to citizenship, and this will occur because the bill will include strong enforcement and security measures,” the legislator said to NBC Latino.
The question of whether undocumented citizens should eventually be able to pursue citizenship has been a sticking point in immigration reform talks. Idaho Republican congressman Raul Labrador said, “people who came here illegally, knowingly – I don’t think they should have a path to citizenship.” Labrador, a former immigration attorney, has said he knows undocumented families for whom legalization and a chance to work is what is important, not citizenship. He added this scenario has more support from Republican conservatives. ”I think we should normalize your status, but we should not give you a pathway to citizenship,” said Labrador in a National Public Radio interview.
One Congressional staffer close to the negotiations says there could be ways to thread the needle on immigration reform which does not preclude citizenship. One way is through supporting strong enforcement mechanisms and border security.
“From a political standpoint in the House and Senate, you kind of have to figure out what policy meets the middle ground, so that for Republicans it is a tough and earned path to legalization, and to Democrats it’s tough and earned but generous and solves the problem of undocumented immigrants,” says the staffer.
Kristian Ramos, Policy Director of the 21st Century Border Initiative for the New Democrat Network (NDN), an organization which advocates for immigration reform, says ”I would be very surprised if there isn’t a pathway to citizenship coming out of the House that is not tied to border metrics,” Ramos says. ”If it comes down to no pathway to citizenship or a pathway to citizenship with these metrics clearly outlined, then I think that is a positive way forward,” he adds.
Clarissa Martinez de Castro, from the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) says another factor to consider is whether legislators would ultimately go through with endorsing a permanent path to legalization without an eventual path to citizenship.
“The question for Congress is, are its members prepared to break with the tradition of this country, and take a vote that would actively relegate people to be second-class citizens in perpetuity?” says Martinez de Castro, who supports a pathway to citizenship. “When it comes down to it, it would be interesting to see if there are members willing to be seen as the Congress who took a vote to create a caste system of people who would be able to work but never become Americans? “
Another way House and Senate members might eventually vote for a pathway to citizenship is through what could be a lengthy process for citizenship. “In some versions of a bill a person might apply for legal status and then have to wait 10 years before applying for lawful permanent residency and then a green card while legal residents are applying for citizenship first,” says NDN’s Ramos.
“It will definitely be a balancing act for both parties to get an immigration bill,” says a staffer working on negotiations.

I predict june

August

CIR will pass in march

Woot!!!

I think CIR will pass in March.

They should make it so you have to wait 25 or more to become USC.

GC is almost as good as USC.

Who is this Labrador clown to decide there should be not pathway to citizenship? Look at this logically. We are NEVER leaving the US. Will we live our whole lives with DACA like status, pay taxes and not ever be able to vote? Here's my prediction. DACA beneficiaries will become green card holders this year. The rest will be put on a grueling and tough path towards GC. Meanwhile they will be allowed to travel!

to be real honest, I don't believe a CIR will pass, I think Obama might just make DHS pass a new memo like DACA but for people people who didn;t qualify for DACA. Make it again 2 years, then as 2Face said, turn the DACA into a program where those who were approved become greencard holders, see how it works out and eventually do the same for the new DACA like memo.


But eh what do I know I am getting tired of hearing stuff and now some article predicts summer?

All I will say now is

"I predict something, anything by the end of Obamas presidency"

Agreed. Since bohner and cantor "support" the DA and Gutierrez and durbin are strong advocates, I don't see CIR passing without a provision for DACA recipients.

Excuse me, but I aged out of DACA and I grew up in this country, so I do want the opportunity to seek citizenship within a reasonable amount of time. The current timeline for GC holders is 5 years, so double it and make it 10 for registration recipients. Oh, and most of my family are citizens now, too.

Moreover, I am rooted here - as are many, I'm sure- I speak English better than many native citizens, I pay- have paid- all my taxes without any additional burden to the goverment as I am not a public charge, nor is my family. No welfare, Medicaid or any other nonsense, where by law you aren't supposed to get anyway.

It is not controversial for those who already meet the supposed "triggers" for CG status to have a path to citizenship. By design, most of the undocumented population will have 8-10 years to reach the qualifying guidelines and better their records so they can attain permanent resident status. There are hundreds of thousands in the grey zone, and this needs to be addressed too. This is low-hanging fruit, why make it unnecessarily controversial. Again, as we say on Twitter, epic #FAIL.