A group of House Democrats yesterday – led by Washington’s 1st District Congresswoman Suzan DelBene, released a comprehensive immigration reform bill. The legislation, called the Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act largely reflects the bipartisan Senate bill. Among other things, the plan:
- Contains much of the same language from the Senate bill that reforms visa programs and interior enforcement
- Includes a bipartisan border-security bill which already passed the House Homeland Security Committee
- Focuses on securing borders, protecting citizens, uniting families, and offering a pathway to citizenship based on certain qualifications.
While this is a significant step in the immigration reform world, it is not likely that this bill will advance anytime soon. With all of the action surrounding the budget and debt ceiling, the latest consensus is that larger immigration reform will get pushed to 2014 – although House Republicans may still move their piece-meal bills.
Click HERE to read DelBene’s Press Release
Click HERE for a section-by-section summary of the House Democrats’ legislation