.......On a separate issue, Goodlatte said political fallout from the recent partial shutdown of the federal government won’t keep him from working to change the immigration system. Some House Republicans complain Obama refused to negotiate over the shutdown and raising the debt ceiling, which they say hurt chances for a compromise over giving legal status to 11 million people in the country without permission.
“This continues to be a problem that needs to be solved,” Goodlatte said. “We are a nation of laws, and respect for the rule of law is important, but we’re also a nation of immigrants and it’s important for people to recognize that part of our society and economy is very, very important.”
Goodlatte said he expects at least four more immigration-related bills to come through his committee, and a fifth to move through a different panel. Finding broad bipartisan support remains a challenge, he said.
House Republicans have rejected the Senate-passed immigration plan and are instead demanding tighter security at the border and stricter enforcement of immigration laws before they’ll consider legal status for those already here.
Goodlatte said the committee members are working on proposals to deal with children brought to the U.S. illegally by their parents, low-skilled immigrants who don’t work in agriculture, abuse of the system for granting political asylum to refugees, and legal status for some of the 11 million.
|