The horrific bombing of the Boston Marathon and subsequent police chase of several suspects involved has gripped the nation this week. The case of two of the suspects, who are from Chechnya, has also lent a fresh set of eyes to the immigration debate.

Though the details surrounding the events in Boston are still very much in question, officials are already starting to use it as a jumping off point for renewed debates over the immigration policy in the U.S. It is still uncertain what the immigration status of the two Chechnyan suspects is at this time.

"How can individuals evade authority and plan such attacks on our soil? How can we beef up security checks on people who wish to enter the United States?" says Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa). "How do we ensure that people who wish to do us harm are not eligible for benefits under the immigration laws, including this new bill before us?"

Grassley was referring to a bipartisan immigration bill that was introduced to Congress this week and backed by prominent figures such as MArco Rubio and John McCain. The bill provides a path towards citizenship for aliens that have crossed our border illegally, though the process would be long and arduous, taking over ten years to complete in full.

"There are legitimate policy questions to ask and answer about what role our immigration system played, if any, in what happened. Regardless of the circumstances in Boston, immigration reform that strengthens our borders and gives us a better accounting of who is in our country and why will improve our national security," said Alex Conant, spokesman for Se. Marco Rubio (R-FL).

The bill has been met with a large amount of criticism, especially from the far right. Many claim that it provides amnesty for immigrants who are breaking the law, and would consequently lead to a softening of our borders.

"It's too bad Suspect # 1 won't be able to be legalized by Marco Rubio, now," conservative pundit Ann Coulter tweeted.

Despite Coulter's scathing tweet, many believe that this new bill has a legitimate chance of being widely accepted by both Congress and the American people. When Sen. John McCain was asked why he felt this immigration bill owuld fare better than its predecessors, he had this to say:

"When you look at the representatives of business, labor, the religious community, Hispanic community - across the board - this is a coalition," he said. "This is why we will succeed, because of this broad-based, dedicated support for this legislation."