Boehner Says House Amnesty Plan “Responsible”
“Leaders in both parties voiced confidence in an emerging House immigration agreement, giving momentum to an issue that has been a bright spot early in President Obama’s second term. Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) praised a bipartisan group for coming up with “a pretty responsible solution” on immigration, the first public endorsement the Speaker has made on the substance of secretive talks that have gone on for more than four years,” The Hill reports.
“They’re essentially in agreement over how to proceed,” Boehner told reporters at a press conference. “There’s a lot of issues here that have to be dealt with,” he added. “I think what the bipartisan group came up [with], frankly, is a pretty responsible solution.”
Will Rand Paul Bring Tea Party Along on Amnesty?
“Sen. Rand Paul’s support for comprehensive immigration changes and a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants could go a long way toward helping get a bill into law, overhaul advocates and his fellow Republicans believe. It’s ‘a signal to the tea party and libertarian right that immigration reform is OK,’ said Frank Sharry, executive director of left-leaning immigration advocacy group America’s Voice,” Roll Call writes.
Four Factors Working Against Amnesty
“The next few months offer the best chance in a generation for the two parties to solve a problem that has bedeviled Congress like few others. Both sides agree the U.S. immigration system is broken. Both would seem to gain from a deal that clears a pathway out of legal oblivion for the nation’s 11 million illegal immigrants. Support is building for a landmark pact. But while negotiations are progressing in both the House and Senate, an agreement is a long way off. As the talks grow more detailed, obstacles to a deal may begin to emerge,” says Time Magazine.
Sessions Says Hearings Needed on Secret Amnesty Bill
“Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions and five other Republican senators are trying to stop the Senate’s Democratic leaders from rushing a huge business-backed amnesty and guest-worker bill through the Senate before it can be debated by the public,” the Daily Caller writes.
“On March 19, Sessions and the other senators sent a letter asking Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy, the chairman of the Senate judiciary committee, to schedule hearings on the complex bill.”