Immigration 2014 News & Update: GOP Says Reform Unlikely to Pass in House Due to Lack of Trust in Obama
The end has come for immigration overhaul this year.
That is what Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart said he was told Thursday morning by House GOP leadership, according to USA Today.
Despite bipartisan support and the rush of children across the border proving a need for immigration reform, Diaz-Balart said the bill was halted because of a lack of faith in the president to enforce it.
"It is highly irresponsible not to deal with the issue," he said. "I know it is difficult, especially when you have a president that failed to build the trust of the American people or the U.S. Congress, and who has done little to enforce current law despite his assertions to the contrary. But we were sent here by the American people precisely to tackle difficult issues and not to take the easy way out."
Diaz-Balart said he was disappointed, and the bill was a strong one with many strict criteria for the path to citizenship.
House Speaker John Boehner and other Republican leaders had already decided not to accept the version passed by Senate last year, but they have also not acted on immigration reform in over a year.
Diaz-Balart and a few others were working on the current version of the bill and said they were encouraged to do so by Boehner, R-Ohio, and other GOP leaders.
"I'm really, really disappointed," Diaz-Balart said. "We have a good bill. We have a unique opportunity to secure our borders, fix our broken immigration system, help our economy and do so in a way that adhere to the rule of law. But unfortunately, I've been told we're not going to be able to pursue it. And I think that's highly unfortunate."
But the announcement has not been much of a surprise since legislators previously said the issue was dead and unlikely to be considered again until after Obama leaves office, according to the Miami Herald.
"It's a lost historic opportunity," Diaz-Balart said.
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