Senate “Immigration Reform” Flushed?
Looks like it is. The House is suddenly developing a spine.
"Our number one priority is to secure the border, and right now I haven't heard a lot of pressure to have a path to citizenship," said Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., announcing plans for an unusual series of hearings to begin in August on Senate-passed immigration legislation.
"I think it is easy to say the first priority of the House is to secure the borders," added Rep. Roy Blunt (news, bio, voting record), the GOP whip.
In deference to the president, neither Hastert nor any other Republican official in either house said publicly that the president's ambitious plan — including a guest worker program as well as an opportunity for citizenship for many illegal immigrants — was dead for the year.
But several Republicans in both houses, speaking on condition of anonymity, were less guarded.
"There will be no path to citizenship," said one lawmaker who attended a strategy session in Hastert's office.
Some officials added that Republicans have begun discussing a pre-election strategy for seizing the political high ground on an issue that so far has served to highlight divisions within the party. Among the possibilities, these officials said, are holding votes in the House or Senate this fall on additional measures to secure the borders, or on legislation that would prevent illegal immigrants from receiving Social Security payments or other government benefits.
I've been saying all along that the first party to figure out "secure the border" is the priority, wins. About time the Republicans got it. CA-50 showed how important the illegal immigration issue is.
Immigration Reform, Uncategorized | Gaius June 20, 2006
