DREAM Act Portal Forum - Why immigration reform is so tough to pass, part 11

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On Tuesday, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), the most prominent conservative member of the Senate’s “Gang of Eight,” said that the bill he helped craft would probably not pass the GOP-controlled House without some tweaks.

“The bill that’s in place right now probably can’t pass the House,” Rubio told conservative radio host Mike Gallagher. “It will have to be adjusted, because people are very suspicious about the willingness of the government to enforce the laws now.”

Rubio was inviting conservatives to offer proposed changes to strengthen the bill instead of trying to sink it altogether. But of course, given all of the different interest groups with a stake in the debate, changes from the right are likely to cause some consternation on the left that could further complicate negotiations.

So what about efforts in the House? Well, if conservatives there get what they want, it’s unlikely the Democratic Senate would sign off. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) said last week he plans chart a narrower path by introducing several small-scale proposals. Democrats hoping for a broad proposal were instantly alarmed over the idea.

President Obama said in a Tuesday morning news conference that the “Gang of Eight” proposal, which among other things provides a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants, is not his ideal bill. But he reiterated that he basically approves of it. As far as an alternative proposal, Obama laid out some pretty specific requirements for what he would and would not get behind.

“‘Is it making the border safer? Is it dealing with employers in how they work with the government to make sure that people are not being taken advantage of, or taking advantage of the system? Are we improving our legal immigration system? And are we creating a pathway for citizenship for the 11 million or so who are undocumented in this country,” the president said.

In other words, it would have to be pretty broad.

If an alternative to the “Gang of Eight” proposal meets those requirements, the president continued, a compromise could work. “If it doesn’t meet those criteria, then I will not support such a bill. So we’ll have to wait and see,” he added.

He’s right about the “wait and see” part. Lawmakers in both chambers are at the beginning of the debate, not the end. There is time for yet for these various differences to be worked out. But sometimes more time isn’t enough, and certain gaps are too wide to bridge. Advocates of reform are hoping that won’t be the case this time around.

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