Immigration Reform Unlikely in 2017

Laterlater · 04:56 PM

Piece from Newsmax.

http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/Imm.../13/id/773268/

Quote:

Comprehensive reform of the immigration system in 2017 appears unlikely, policy trackers and officials told CNN.

"I think it's going to be really limited in scope," said one House leadership aide.

The last time a major reform bill was attempted was in 2013, when a bipartisan bill was passed in the Senate and rejected in the House.

Texas Sen. John Cornyn, the no. 2 Senate Republican, said he believes the best way to move forward is in small steps. Other immigration issues take priority, he said.

"My conclusion is we're not going to be able to do a big comprehensive bill. We've tried that. It just doesn't work. We need to secure the border and we need to enforce the law in regards to people with criminal records who are illegally in this country. And then we need to have a further conversation," Cornyn told Bloomberg in November 2016.

However, small steps face opposition as well. Democrats want methods for undocumented immigrants who are living peacefully in the U.S. to gain citizenship, while many Republicans are focused on enforcement.

Democrats may face political turmoil if they go along with a President Donald Trump-endorsed plan, such as giving up the call for pathways to citizenship.

"You can't move something that is less controversial, because there is nothing that's immigration that's not controversial right now," immigration attorney Enrique Gonzalez told CNN.

Paying for reforms or enforcement such as Trump's border wall. is also at issue: Republicans want a border adjustment tax, and Democrats said that pathways to citizenship could come with fees.

A group of bipartisan congressmen called the Gang of Eight sponsored the rejected 2013 deal. All of them except Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., appears willing to lead efforts to reform the immigration system.

Moderate Republicans in the House are discussing reforms, but one Democratic aide said their work will unlikely be successful without a top conservative on board.

"You would have to have political legs for immigration reform before you even (start) talking about the Gang of Eight membership," the aide told CNN.

On Thursday, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., said Trump appeared interested in revisiting the 2013 bill. "He didn't walk away from it. He engaged," Manchin told Roll Call.

However, Cornyn disagreed with Manchin's assessment.
"I've never seen a story spin out of control so quickly… The president did express an interest in the topic and that was a little bit of a surprise," Cornyn said.

Meanwhile, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., are focusing on legal immigrants with their introduction of the RAISE Act, which would admit immigration to the U.S. based on skills, not on joining family members.

Not much to add.
Anonymous House leadership aid is all this article is built on.

eva02 · 02-13-2017, 05:53 PM

Opinions are like _____. Remember that when they said Trump couldn't win. Republicans are not ready for the backlash from the democratic "tea party". They are already caving on repealing Obamacare and even trump is changing tactics after the two messy weeks of EO.

eva02 · 02-13-2017, 05:56 PM

Of course immigration reform with a path to citizenship is out of the question. The only real reforms possible in this congress is something to preserve the status quo of DREAMers and even that's a long shot. I think that'll depend on Trumps cancelation of daca and the outpouring of preotrsts and bad PR. If Trump leaves daca along I don't expect anything from congress related to immigration.

isk84life · 02-13-2017, 06:06 PM

Democrats have always been idiotic about this. They should have already taken a legalization of all undocumented without path to citizenship for most. Then add a path to citizenship for the rest of the undocumented when they hold majorities in both chambers in the future (10 years from now).

FLDreamerrr · 02-13-2017, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by isk84life

Democrats have always been idiotic about this. They should have already taken a legalization of all undocumented without path to citizenship for most. Then add a path to citizenship for the rest of the undocumented when they hold majorities in both chambers in the future (10 years from now).

It's all politics my friend . If democrats were smart when they had control of the house and senate in 09 they could have passed with path to citizenship and in 2016 we could have all voted for Clinton and wouldn't be in this mess

eva02 · 02-13-2017, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FLDreamerrr

It's all politics my friend . If democrats were smart when they had control of the house and senate in 09 they could have passed with path to citizenship and in 2016 we could have all voted for Clinton and wouldn't be in this mess

No thanks to those blue dog dems. Also, sadly the senator from Massachusetts who was sick? The democrat super majority wasn't true. Plus, obama was more interested in pushing healthcare reform .

eva02 · 02-13-2017, 06:27 PM

President Obama was sworn in on January 20, 2009 with just 58 Senators to support his agenda.

He should have had 59, but Republicans contested Al Franken’s election in Minnesota and he didn’t get seated for seven months.

The President’s cause was helped in April when Pennsylvania’s Republican Senator Arlen Specter switched parties.

That gave the President 59 votes — still a vote shy of the super majority.

But one month later, Democratic Senator Byrd of West Virginia was hospitalized and was basically out of commission.

So while the President’s number on paper was 59 Senators — he was really working with just 58 Senators.

Then in July, Minnesota Senator Al Franken was finally sworn in, giving President Obama the magic 60 — but only in theory, because Senator Byrd was still out.

In August, Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts died and the number went back down to 59 again until Paul Kirk temporarily filled Kennedy’s seat in September.

Any pretense of a supermajority ended on February 4, 2010 when Republican Scott Brown was sworn into the seat Senator Kennedy once held.Do you see a two-year supermajority?

I didn’t think so.

eva02 · 02-13-2017, 06:30 PM

Republicans perpetuated the lie that obama did nothing for liberals and his base even with a supermajority. This no doubt influenced his reelection and subsequent lack of motivation amongst Dems for 2016. 4 years of trump will reenergize Dems.

cooltalker · 02-13-2017, 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FLDreamerrr

It's all politics my friend . If democrats were smart when they had control of the house and senate in 09 they could have passed with path to citizenship and in 2016 we could have all voted for Clinton and wouldn't be in this mess

Exactly. Thank you for saying it. Instead of immigration reform, he focused of healthcare which may get repealed anyways.

Quote:

Originally Posted by eva02

Plus, obama was more interested in pushing healthcare reform .

Immigrant · 02-13-2017, 07:11 PM

There is no immigration reform until a Democrat is in the White House and the Democrats control both the House and the Senate.

In the mean time, an enforcement only immigration policy until 2020.

They need you!

Forum links

Resources

Join our list

National calendar of events

September

Immigration Reform Unlikely in 2017