DREAM Act Portal Forum - Durbin tells Boehner to reach across aisle on immigration bill

http://www.suntimes.com/21211930-761...tion-bill.html

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U.S. Sen. Deputy Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) today implored U.S. House Speaker John Boehner to reach across the aisle on immigration reform otherwise it will go up in a ball of flames.

Durbin, part of the Senate’s bipartisan “Gang of Eight,” told the Chicago Council on Global Affairs that he understands the House will write its own version of the bill. But he said if Boehner simply writes a Republican version, it will suffer the same fate as the Farm Bill that went down in defeat last month.

“We can’t let them kill it,” Durbin said Monday. “This is a once in a political lifetime opportunity for those who are serving and for our nation.”

“What the Speaker has done traditionally is start at this place: ‘Republicans are going to write their own bill.’ They couldn’t write the Farm Bill two weeks ago, it failed on the floor two weeks ago. They’ve had a series of failures like that. He usually gives it a try, once or twice, and then concedes it’s going to have to be bipartisan,” Durbin said. “I hope instead we can start with bipartisan consultation. They can come up with their own bill. I understand they need a House bill.”

“But this is really a test of all of us — including the Speaker — as to whether we can rise to this occasion. Even if it’s tough politically.”

The words came as the U.S. House Republican Caucus will meet Wednesday and discuss the immigration bill.

The Senate passed landmark immigration legislation that called for a path to citizenship for those who could prove they resided in the United States before the end of 2011. Senate Republicans — including U.S. Senator Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) insisted on significant increase in border security before passing the measure.

Boehner, whose office could not immediately be reached, has said the House would write its own bill.