Immigration Reform 2014 Law, News, & Process: Vice President Joe Biden Urges Republicans to Pass Immigration Bill
Vice President Joe Biden urged Republicans Tuesday to pass the stalled immigration reform bill now that primary elections are over.
According to The Republic, the vice president said the bill should move forward now that the divisiveness of primary season is behind Republicans, the majority of whom are opposed to the passage of immigration reform.
Biden made the comments during a conversation with Colorado politicians and Latino religious leaders at a coffee shop in Denver. He was in Colorado to raise campaign funds for Sen. Mark Udall, and to speak at the Air Force Academy graduation.
He said that GOP lawmakers, who have been intransigent on moving the Senate-passed immigration reform bill forward in the House, said they may move the bill forward now that primaries are over.
Many Republicans were apprehensive to bring immigration reform to a vote in the House out of fear of appearing soft on immigration reform to their conservative constituents.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor is one GOP lawmaker who is strengthening his hardline stance on immigration reform ahead of the midterm elections. He recently sent out fliers suggesting he wants to crack down on immigration, although he formerly said that he would support a pathway to citizenship for those who came to the U.S. illegally.
"They've got their chance now," Biden said of House Republicans. "Most of the primaries are over."
Biden also read a statement from immigrant advocate groups that urged the Obama administration to refrain from limiting deportations until the August recess. Previously, immigrant rights groups slammed the administration for not taking unilateral action to curb the number of deportations.
Obama has been criticized for his high number of deportations, which has surpassed the number of deportations under President George W. Bush.