Boehner to Release Principles on Immigration Overhaul

Ianus · 01-17-2014, 09:11 AM

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/...24532878523334

Quote:

WASHINGTON—House Speaker John Boehner is preparing to release a set of principles to guide a House immigration overhaul, including legal status for many of the 11 million people in the U.S. illegally, people familiar with his plans said.

This would represent the first time that House Republican leaders have explicitly endorsed allowing illegal immigrants to remain and work in the U.S. While the document will stop short of the path to citizenship approved by the Senate, it represents a major step toward what immigration advocates and Democrats have long sought.

The principles could be released as early as next week, ahead of the State of the Union speech on Jan. 28, where President Barack Obama is expected to again call on Congress to send him immigration legislation. They will be circulated among House Republicans for possible action this year, though timing for legislation is unclear.

The one-page document, which is being developed by Mr. Boehner's office, contains few details but voices support for the major planks of the comprehensive bill that cleared the Senate last summer. That includes increased border security, stepped up employment verification, a temporary worker program for low-skilled workers, more visas for high-technology workers and a path to citizenship for people brought to the U.S. illegally as children, according to two people who have seen a draft.

These measures would be considered as individual pieces of legislation, not as one big bill, though some pieces might be combined-such as enforcement and legalization.

The document also expresses support for legal status for undocumented immigrants and envisions some sort of legal process by which they admit guilt and pay fines and any back taxes owed. It will also insist that no legalization provisions take effect until border security and other enforcement measures are in place, people familiar with the draft said.

Immigration advocates have pressed for citizenship, not just legalization, for those undocumented residents, saying that anything less would sentence them to permanent second-class status. Legislation that cleared the Senate last summer provides for a 13-year path to citizenship for those who meet qualifications.

Legislation is being developed by House Republicans that wouldn't exclude citizenship for those here illegally. But it rejects what many Republicans see as a "special path" not available to would-be immigrants who didn't break the law. Rather, after people win legal status they could apply for green cards, the same as any other legal immigrant.

Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R., Va.) has voiced support for such an approach for months. He signaled openness to legalization again in an interview that aired on Telemundo on Sunday.

"If we can have a way to get that [enforcement measures] up and operating, I see no reason why we can't also have an agreement that shows how people who are not lawfully here can be able to be lawfully here—able to live here, work here, travel to and from their home country. Be able to own a business, pay their taxes," he said. "And that is how we're trying to outline a way to resolve this as one of several of the steps in this step by step approach."

The emerging GOP approach was welcomed by some immigration advocates, who have grown frustrated waiting for the House to act. Frank Sharry, who leads the influential advocacy group America's Voice, pointed out that it wasn't long ago when GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney proposed that the U.S. make life so miserable for illegal immigrants that they voluntarily "self-deport."

"It is significant that a party that was in favor of self-deportation just in 2012 is moving to embrace legalization for all and citizenship for many," Mr. Sharry said. "If they're serious and if they detail it properly and they're willing to work with Democrats, it's a promising development."

Republicans involved said the document will restate their resolve not to compromise any legislation they pass by going to a conference with the Senate, which would be the normal process for resolving differences between legislation passed by the two chambers. It was unclear how the House envisions the process moving forward after it moves its own legislation.

It wasn't even clear when the House would hold its first immigration votes. Some have pointed to a window this spring, after the bulk of Republican primaries are over. Others have said it makes more sense to move more quickly

I still don't believe the House Republicans will do anything and any effort will probably be next year,irregardless of party.

Pianoswithoutfaith · 01-17-2014, 04:26 PM

IF they do anything nothing will be done until the border is secured which could take YEARS

NK74 · 01-18-2014, 05:13 AM

The idea that people will not be legalized until the border is secured is another point that might be either sticky or used to get votes from Republican legislators now, only to compromise with Democrats later.

Basically, it's very hard to make the border 100% secure and besides declaring it secure can take ages if some politicians behave in bad faith never accepting that the border is secure i.e. a ton of people from the Republican caucus.

So far, I ve noticed 3 potential sticking points:

1. The battle over mere legalization or a special path to citizenship. This actually seems the most fertile to compromise because even a path to citizenship isn't created, a ton of people may get green cards and eventually citizenship through existing channels.

2. The Republican declaration that they will not go to conference with the Senate. I guess the alternative is Republicans producing legislation and telling the Senate to take it or leave it. It's unlikely the Senate will take it, but it's unlikely that the Republicans insist on it until the end, because if they do so, their effort would not be recognized as being in good faith by the immigrant community so all the political rationales that force them to make that effort will be for not.

3. The third is as mentioned above the idea that the border needs to be secured first and then anyone getting legalized.

Members of the Republicans leadership who genuinely want to pass reform - like Paul Ryan and Boehner- have to thread the needle here.

They really have to accomplish three contradictory goals.

1. They have to find a piece of legislation that secures at least a majority of the Republican caucus. This means that any legislation will have to move right.

2. In doing so, the legislation cannot move right enough so as not to garner enough support from House Democrats. After all, since any potential Republican legislation will have barely above 50% of the Republican caucus, they will need Democrats to vote for it.

3. OTOH, the Republican leadership's goal is to neutralize the issue with hispanics to such an extent that it doesn't harm their future electoral chances. In theory this can be accomplished without producing legislation. If they can just make some credible steps towards solving satisfactorily the immigration problem but the effort is torpedoed by the Democrats, the Republicans will have achieved their goal.

It's tough to see how such a scenario can materialize in practice. The Dems have already moved a great deal to the right over the 5-6 years and they keep moving to the right in order to produce that legislation. The kind of reform they re going to refuse to sign is probably not going to be good enough for the immigration reform community.

All of this IMO means that there's going to be a long and delicate tango playing in front of eyes over the next few months. At first, the Republican leadership will move the bill as far right as possible in order to get a majority of the majority and shield incumbent Republicans from tea party challenges.

If that is accomplished, they will move to the center to compromise with House Democrats and the Senate in order to produce a more moderate and pragmatic sort of reform.

However, since this idea doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out, you should expect hardline Republicans to fight in advance to stop this effort, even if nominally their political position is satisfied by Boehner's legislation. So, for the next few months, I expect the effort to be extremely fragile and very touch and go.

At the end of the day, it really boils down to what the silent majority of Republican congressmen really think, how secure they feel against a tea party challenge, how deep the nativist sentiment runs within the Republican base and to what extent the Tea Party fever has subsided or not.

One cannot speak with certainty about the eventual outcome one way or another. I think reform is an underdog, but it also has serious chances to pass this year, let's say anywhere from 25% to 40%.

I am crossing my fingers, because I am at the end of my rope with this situation.

2Face · 01-18-2014, 12:45 PM

Last year the Republicans said the Senate bill is "dead on arrival" in the House. Honestly, this future bill, and actually the Democrats have already hinted towards this, is dead on arrival in the Senate. There is no doubt about it. This idea of "securing the border" is a ploy to get votes and at the same time dodge the issue of legalization because the Republicans simply do not support it. The border has never been, is not, and never will be "secure" for the Republicans. We're going no where with this. The only option we have now is to help Democrats regain the seats in the House thus putting Pelosi back to speakership and then go all out towards pressuring the Democrats to get shit done.

NoWhereToRun · 01-18-2014, 01:30 PM

Politicians are crooks and that goes for POTUS as well.

Pluribus · 04:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pianoswithoutfaith

IF they do anything nothing will be done until the border is secured which could take YEARS

But hey, if instead they were going to bomb Mexico and take over, they could put a plan together in 20 mins. That they could do.

VeryNicePerson1 · 01-20-2014, 01:02 PM

Principles?

After all this time, the best they can do is talk about issuing a glorified top ten list?...lol...

...

chocolatedrop · 01-21-2014, 06:05 PM

These guys are once again playing a political game of cat and mouse..The Dems have already said its legalization or nothing the Republicans are trying to fake out those hard line republicans to even get them to vote on there on darn bills. IMO Bohener is going to throw out a list of wants and listen to the feed back from his fellow house members and there voter base to see if it will help or hurt in the upcoming election, cause the Republicans HATE Obama so much they do not want to concede in the house and lose seats and the Dems want to be the winner on immigration reform ,IMO there is no way the Senate is going to let the House get one up on them so to speak...it's a sad state of affairs to see grown ass men having a pissing contest with other people's lives.

They need you!

Forum links

Resources

Join our list

National calendar of events

September

Boehner to Release Principles on Immigration Overhaul