CREDIT: Esther Y. Lee Now that Republicans have won back both chambers of Congress, many advocates are waiting to see if they will move on immigration reform. Because the issue is popular with American voters, Republican action on immigration could help tip GOP support with minorities in the 2016 presidential election. But if the Republicans’ stalling on immigration policies this past year is any indication, it seems that any legislation would potentially be limited in scope and focused on border-enforcement, a situation that could provide further justification for President Obama’s plans to take executive action. The prospects of passing an immigration bill as expansive as last year’s comprehensive Senate bill could prove difficult, not least of which because some Democratic senators who voted for the bill lost in Tuesday’s election. In just the last session, House Republicans resisted multiple times to bring the House Democrats’ version of the Senate comprehensive bill to the floor. Instead, they held multiple committee hearings on enforcement-heavy bills that only address border security, and to investigate whether the Department of Homeland Security had released criminal immigrant gang members into the streets. Even the key Republican sponsors of the Senate bill, John McCain (R-AZ), Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Rubio (R-FL) have all not only rolled back support of the Senate bill, but they are also opposed to Obama’s executive action. Child border crossers escaping violence in their home countries may be among the first victims of a Republican Congress. House Republicans have already voted through a border supplemental bill to change a 2008 human trafficking law to deport Central American youths more quickly. Even before Tuesday’s election results, President Obama pledged to fill the immigration reform void left by Congress and take some action from his own office to provide reprieve for undocumented immigrants. But that action may be thwarted by Republicans in both chambers, who have already made several attempts to roll back President Obama’s existing program to provide temporary reprieve for some immigrants, known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). And House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) already threatened to broaden the scope of an unfiled lawsuit against the President to immigration if he took executive action. What’s more, Obama’s delay in promised executive action may have precipitated the loss of Democratic some seats. Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO) vacated his Senate seat for Rep. Cory Gardner (R-CO) on Tuesday night, setting off speculation that low Latino turnout was the cause. Advocacy groups like Presente and the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) have actively called on Latinos, who were a decisive force in the 2012 election, to resist voting for Democrats out of anger that the President hadn’t acted on promised action. Despite Udall’s loss, a Latino Decisions poll found that Latino voters in Colorado still strongly favored him over Gardner by a 71 percent to 23 percent margin. On the campaign trial, Democratic House members like Rep. Joe Garcia (D-FL) were confronted by Latino voters who demanded to know why the party — including Obama — had done nothing on immigration reform. Garcia lost his race on Tuesday to Republican challenger Carlos Curbelo. Some Republicans have already proclaimed that immigration reform could only happen if they controlled the Senate. During an appearance on Fox News Sunday, former presidential candidate Mitt Romney said that it would be possible to have immigration policies that would secure the border and would “deal with those who have come here illegally.” Jeb Bush also voiced support for immigration reform to Spanish-language media, saying that Obama’s expected executive action to limit deportations could undercut congressional efforts and make it “harder to do it the appropriate way” through Congress. And House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) said in September that immigration reform could boost the economy. But with Republicans’ track record of moves to take down even the limited executive program that has help DREAMers, it remains to be seen if Obama’s executive action could even outlast his presidency. The post How Dim Are Prospects For Immigration Reform In A Republican-Controlled Congress? appeared first on ThinkProgress. ThinkProgress ift.tt/1uvLYYR
Posted on: Wed, 05 Nov 2014 17:12:44 +0000
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