Immigration Reform Sees Opposition from Republicans in House of Representatives
A new push for immigration reform is making its way through Congress, though there is still much uncertainty over how it will be able to pass. As usual, divided party lines are getting in the way of making lasting change.
The immigration reform effort aims to provide a path for undocumented immigrants to gain citizenship via a long application process that could take upwards of 10 years. A bipartisan effort which has formed over almost four years is hopeful that a resolution can be reached.
"We're hoping that we can do something as quickly as possible," said Xavier Becerra (D) of California, the fourth-ranking Democrat in the House and a member of the bipartisan negotiations, on Tuesday. "We've been saying that for a little while, but I think that shows how close we think we are."
There are divisive issues, however. Democrats are afraid that once those immigrants are put on the path to becoming legal, they will not be able to afford healthcare and will have to be forced out of the country should they rack up medical bills. These worries come amid repeated efforts by Republicans to scrap Obamacare altogether.
"While we applaud the progress made by our Senate colleagues, there are numerous ways in which the House will approach the issue differently," GOP leaders said in a statement. "The House remains committed to fixing our broken immigration system, but we will not simply take up and accept the bill that is emerging in the Senate if it passes. Rather, through regular order, the House will work its will and produce its own legislation."
Republicans believe that the problem stems from Obamacare. They say that it has drastically increased the price of private health insurance and thus, has put undocumented immigrants in a bind. Many among the GOP do not believe that immigration reform and Obamacare can coexist and will not support any measures to make it so.
"We don't like to see that," says House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R) of dissension within the House's bipartisan group, "but we have so many backup plans that we're not going to be dependent [on the group.] They know we're going to move whether they produce something or not and we know that if they produce something, we will benefit from that."