The House immigration bill should include a pathway to citizenship for those who are already here, former Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert says.
"The whole formula for immigration reform can fall into place if two basic issues are solved," Hastert, of Illinois, wrote in an opinion piece for Politico. "First, securing our borders so we know who is entering our country and for what purpose. Second, a legalization of those folks who are already here, many of whom have been here for a decade or more."
And, Hastert explains, legalization means that there must be "a path to citizenship much like any other immigrant would have."
But the country cannot just do nothing, he said. "The cost of inaction is high," Hastert claims.
The United States has too much to gain economically, according to reports from the Congressional Budget Office and and the Bipartisan Policy Center that Hastert cites. The CBO predicted that Gross Domestic Product would increase 5.4 percent if the immigrants here were given citizenship over 20 years, and the BPC has said that immigration reform would reduce the federal deficit more than $1.2 trillion in the same amount of time.
According to Hastert, immigration reform is also necessary to fill jobs in a variety of sectors such as science and technology, agriculture, and manufacturing, where immigrants are needed.
"Immigration is necessary for our economic recovery," he wrote. "We need a reasonable way to bring [immigrants] out of the shadows so that they can legally contribute to our economy."
"Removing them is neither practical nor economically smart," he added.
There are national security issues at stake, as well. If Homeland Security knows who is here, it will make it easier for "law enforcement to refocus their resources on removing individuals with criminal backgrounds."
He also explains that embracing Latinos, which are expected to make up 30 percent of the population by 2050, is necessary for the political survival of the Republican Party.
"My own party must acknowledge this reality and embrace these ever-growing constituencies if it is to remain relevant in national elections," Hastert concluded in his opinion piece.
The man who created the "majority of the majority" rule even wants immigration reform. Republicans have to just ignore their die-hard racists within their party and just pass the Senate Bill.
