“The President and I agree that immigration reform is very likely to be taken up before the end of the year.”
Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–October 16, 2013. Yesterday, President Obama reiterated his desire to move immigration reform legislation forward in Congress as soon as the Republican government shutdown, fiscal cliff, budget and default episode is resolved. He made the comment during an interview with Univision affiliate KMEX-TV in Los Angeles (Reuters news report in English).
Congressman Luis V. Gutiérrez (D-IL), a leading proponent of immigration reform in Congress, reacted to the President’s comments and expressed his own optimism about the prospects for immigration reform in a statement issued today. A Member of the Judiciary Committee and the Immigration Subcommittee, Rep. Gutiérrez is the Chair of the Immigration Task Force of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. The following is a statement from Rep. Gutiérrez:
“It is hard to be optimistic about the prospects for anything happening in a bipartisan manner on Capitol Hill these days, but the President and I agree that immigration reform is very likely to be taken up before the end of the year. When we emerge from this crazy partisan eruption from the Republicans, there will be a huge incentive for sensible Republicans who want to repair some of the damage they have done to themselves. Immigration reform remains the one issue popular with both Democratic and Republican voters on which the two parties can work together to deliver real, substantive solutions in the Congress this year.
“The GOP government shutdown has not slowed the deportations, the separation of families, or the placement of American citizen children of deportees in foster care at taxpayer expense. The Republicans’ political strategy has not damaged the economy enough to kill the demand for legal immigration, yet we still do not have a legal immigration system to accommodate and regulate this demand and meet it with a supply of visas. And despite the tendency of politicians in both parties to fix their sights on winning elections a year away, there is still an opportunity this term, this year to pass sensible immigration reform, even if that diminishes, not heightens, distinctions between the two parties.
“Immigration is the one issue on which a majority of the country and a diverse array of Republican and Democratic constituencies can agree. The Senate already passed bipartisan legislation and I am confident there will be a high premium on bipartisanship in the House after we emerge from this partisan tunnel and into the light.
“The President’s remarks are extremely helpful and he should continue to push Congress towards areas of agreement on which we can come together to solve tough public policy problems the country faces. It benefits all Americans to have a government that functions, a Congress that enacts policy that strengthens—not damages—the economy and a nation with a sensible and legal immigration system. With more prodding from the President and the American people, we can get immigration reform legislation passed in the House and signed into law.”
Source: Gutierrez.house.gov
