Hope surfaces for reforms to get going this year.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: Although all indications over the past few weeks have been that immigration reform is essentially dead for 2014, GOP lawmakers may be trying to get at least a portion of it pushed through Congress in the near future.
Republicans in the House of Representatives, led by Rep. Jeff Denham of California, are reportedly keen to add (some would say “sneak”) text to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which would allow DREAMer children to become fully naturalized citizens of the US if they enlist to serve in the Armed Forces.
This a substantial development, as the GOP has been reticent to allow any measure that would provide a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants and their children, which is what the DREAMer movement consists of, but the measure is far from passed.
The NDAA is set to come to a vote in the House next month, with House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte telling Breitbart.com that members of Congress are working on it. Goodlatte dismissed the same tactic last year, but is apparently more open to it now. Those supporting the comprehensive immigration reform bill, which passed through the Senate last summer before stalling in the House, applaud Denham’s initiative to get the “Enlist Act” passed, but Denham’s fellow Republicans aren’t happy about it.
The GOP at large has likened the measure to basically rewarding illegal immigrants for breaking US laws to enter the country. There is also, many say, the issue of trusting someone who came to this country illegally with the task of defending it honorably on the front lines of battle. Democrats say that, despite their admiration for the initiative, it’s basically a non-factor. At the end of the day, comprehensive reform is about far bigger issues than this one, which Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart told Breitbart is “non-controversial.”
The news of the Republican move to allow DREAMers a path to citizenship comes right on the heels of a Democrat initiative to spur immigration reform by sneaking it into the GOP budget proposal was shot down. Democrats hoped to get funding for immigration reform passed as part of the House Budget Committee’s proposal, but lawmakers voted along party lines and got it dismissed almost immediately.
Paul Ryan (R-WI), who was leading the budget bill, said flat-out that he would not support funding immigration reform because the majority of the House still does not like the Senate version that passed last year. Democrats – including Rep. Tony Cardenas (D-CA), who introduced the amendment – implored his colleagues to approve it, saying that it would create more than 100,000 jobs and reduce the current debt by $900 billion.
For now, the NDAA text is still being developed, and no firm language for the proposal has been set yet. Denham, who was one of the first Republicans to voice his support for an immigration reform bill that, at least in most ways, mirrored the one passed by the Senate last year, is reportedly close with GOP Whip Kevin McCarthy, and has attracted several powerful party leaders to support his Enlist Act movement.
12 Comments
You have intentionally broken US Sovereign border / Immigration laws, which puts you in this country illegally – so you have NO rights in the USA!!! The bottom line is *GO HOME*!!!!
Generally, I don’t like Americans having to compete with foreigners for good jobs, but given that all these Google, Facebook, and Apple employees are dedicated socialists, I hope they are all replaced by H-1Bs.
Those who vote for the Big Amnesty, as this Rep. Jeff Denham, are traitors. There are 20 million Americans unemployed, and the Big Amnesty will bring here 30 million foreign workers more, who will steal American jobs. Then the middle class will become poor, and the poor will starve. The politicians should serve Americans who voted for them and not pander to foreign criminals.
Is anyone in D.C. listening to us, We, The People at all? Because we do NOT want anything to do with amnesty or immigration reform at all. What we want is for Washington and that includes our President, to start ENFORCING our laws that are in place and have been ! You don’t stop deportation, but continue and when in Gods name are you going to fix the border fence? You know that there are areas where there is NO fence at all. You know that there are plenty of places where the fence has been destroyed enough so illegals and cartel members can squirm through the opening. You know that most of the illegals that get into the US illegally are criminals/convicts/have warrants/murderers, and still you don’t do anything to keep us safe and fix our border fence. Just the other day, Texas has borrowed 100 of California’s border agents and some from other states also. Now why is that? That alone should tell you something is wrong with our security! WE DO NOT WANT amnesty/immigration reform. How many times do we have to say it?
Denham is an idiot and should be removed from office.
They better not if they plan to stay in the elite class (politicians) . They will get their pink slips if they do this!
Any new immigration laws MUST include enforcement first. There is no point in reforming any laws that cannot or will not be enforced. Granting an amnesty is not a solution and only perpetuates the problem. Scofflaws who cannot wait their turn to immigrate do not need encouragement to help others to do the same.
If someone’s first act in this country is to break the law, it really isn’t a good idea give them a weapon and train them to fight along with a pass to stick around and make trouble. Who comes up with these laws? I bet this is another back door amnesty like the DREAM act where anyone who qualifies can bring in their entire family. No thanks.
We must do whatever it takes to stop amnesty and more immigration. And allowing illegal aliens (i.e. foreign invaders) to serve in the military? I can’t think of anything more stupidly foolish than that.
Migrating to America legally is, and should be, a thorough procedure
meant to protect the interests of American citizens. It involves more than
simply jumping a fence and heading north in pursuit of free health care,
education, food stamps, and other handouts paid for by U.S. taxpayers.
Legal immigration means enduring rigorous hurdles like background checks to
detect a criminal background or possible ties to terrorists; medical
examinations to detect diseases still prevalent in third-world nations, but
long since eradicated here; proof of financial solvency so as to prevent
newcomers from becoming a burden on U.S. taxpayers, and testing for
knowledge of American history and English skills.
Those who have jumped a fence into America in order to avoid our
immigration checks are not immigrants. Rather, they are invading criminals,
with no claim whatsoever to the welcome mat extended to legal immigrants.
The only reform we need is enforcement of our laws for a change. We need rid of the millions of border hoppers draining our resources.
Jeff Denham @RepJeffDenham sucks