WASHINGTON - Republican Sens. David Vitter of Louisiana and Jeff Sessions of Alabama signaled Monday that the latest immigration reform plan proposed by a bipartisan group of eight senators isn't going to move through Congress without a big fight. Vitter said the history of immigration reform doesn't give him much confidence in the new new plan announced Monday by...
WASHINGTON - Republican Sens. David Vitter of Louisiana and Jeff Sessions of Alabama signaled Monday that the latest immigration reform plan proposed by a bipartisan group of eight senators isn't going to move through Congress without a big fight. Vitter said the history of immigration reform doesn't give him much confidence in the new new plan announced Monday by four Democratic and four Republican senators.
Sen. David Vitter expresses strong doubts about latest Senate immigration reform proposal.
"Will the proposal outlined by some of my colleagues today fix the problem or will it perpetuate the problem or, God forbid, even grow the problem dramatically? said Vitter, like Sessions a long-time opponent of "amnesty" for illegal immigrants.
"The most notable case of this was in 1986 under President (Ronald) Reagan," Vitter said. "There was a so-called immigration reform proposal that passed into law, and the model was, very simple. We're going to get serious about enforcement. We really, really are. We're going to have a one-time leniency. Or amnesty and it will fix the problem once and for all. ..Well, as we know from bitter experience, since then, it didn't quite turn out that way. The promised enforcement never fully materialized."
Sen. John McCain R-Ariz., one of the four Republicans to sign onto the latest reform plan, said the measure brings better enforcement while recognizing that the United States can't deport all 11 million illegal immigrants. From a political standpoint, he said Republicans need to show the growing Hispanic population that their party is ready to embrace immigration reform. He pointed to the results of the 2012 presidential race, when Democratic President Barack Obama outpolled Republican Mitt Romney 71-27 percent among Hispanic voters, according to exit polls.
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., whose parents migrated from Cuba to settle in Florida, said it's the right thing to do.
"I am doing this because it's good for the country," Rubio said. "I just don't think it's good for America to have a broken legal immigration system, no real mechanisms of enforcement, 11 million people who are undocumented who we will never know who they are unless we have something in place. And no system for us to address some of the other immigration requirements that we need for the country. So, I am doing this for America."
The plan would give 11 million undocumented immigrants equal status and a pathway toward citizenship. It also calls for a commission to set up new tougher enforcement to curb illegal immigration - a process that would occur before those here illegally can be given temporary green cards.
Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., called the proposal a "good start."
"Today, a bipartisan group of my Senate colleagues unveiled a framework for immigration reform that seeks to address border security, employer checks on immigration status, and a path forward for the 11 million undocumented immigrants currently living in the U.S. It also seeks to retain highly-skilled entrepreneurs from around the world to help spur economic growth in our nation."
"This is a good start and I look forward to the debate ahead to strengthen it. In addition, I will continue my focus on developing America's current workforce, so that all workers in America have the skills they need to succeed."
Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, didn't take a firm position on the Senate proposal.
"America is a nation founded by immigrants, but the current system of legal immigration is broken and must be fixed," Scalise said. "It's long past time that Congress take a step-by-step approach to finally start reforming our broken immigration system so that the next generation of immigrants will have the same opportunity to pursue the American Dream that my great grandparents had when they immigrated here from Italy nearly 100 years ago."
Vitter, who echoed many of the concerns expressed by Sen. Sessions, said that America is proud to be a nation of immigrants who came to the United States for opportunities only it could provide.
But he said that illegal immigration is drain on the U.S. economy and that he fears the latest Senate proposal won't do enough to effectively curb it in the future.