Enthused by recent signals from the Republican Party that they may be willing to negotiate a “compromise” legislation on the vexed immigration reform issue, President Barack Obama now believes there is “a good chance” of getting the measure through the Congress.
But top Republican leaders have lost little time to apply the brakes, telling Obama that he must first secure America’s borders to seal off the continuing illegal influx before any deal offering legal status to the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants. House Majority leader Eric Cantor and another senior Republican lawmaker, Paul Ryan, made it clear on Sunday talk shows that strict border enforcement is a precursor to any legislative action on immigration overhaul. Ryan went on to voice doubts if Congress would clear the measure this year.
While the legislation’s central thrust is to deal with the millions of illegal immigrants, the issue of interest to India in the omnibus legislation is the expansion of H-1B visas for professionals and removal of provisions targeting Indian IT firms operating in the US.
The Democrat-controlled Senate passed last summer the comprehensive immigration reform bill that included a 13-year path to citizenship for the illegal immigrants, but the Republican-controlled House of Representatives has made it clear that it would not go along with the Senate bill, but come up with its own variants instead of one composite legislation on the subject.
Expectations of a push on immigration reform had begun to soar last Thursday with House Speaker John Boehner broadly indicating for the first time that the Republicans would be willing to negotiate an alternative proposal giving the 11 million illegal immigrants a legal status to live and work in the United States, but not putting them on a path to citizenship as sought by the Obama administration.
“I actually think that we have a good chance of getting immigration reform,” Obama said in an interview to CNN on Sunday. Although Obama has all along insisted on a path to citizenship, he signalled his willingness for a compromise that at least offers the illegal immigrants a legal status to live and work in the country.
“If the Speaker proposes something that says right away folks aren’t being deported, families aren’t being separated, we’re able to attract top young students to provide the skills or start businesses here, and, then there’s a regular process of citizenship. I’m not sure how wide the divide ends up being. That’s why I don’t want to prejudge it,” he said.
However, not long after Obama’s remarks, Republicans leaders Cantor and Ryan came with their counter, suggesting that their party will not negotiate until US borders were first secured.
“This is not trust but verify. This is a verify and trust approach,” Ryan told ABC News, adding: “Security first, no amnesty, then we might be able to get somewhere.” Ryan, who was the vice-presidential running mate of Mitt Romney in the last presidential race, said the border enforcement measures would “have to be in law, in practice and independently verified before the rest of the (immigration reform) law can occur”. Asked if Obama immigration reform would be completed this year, Ryan commented: “That’s clearly in doubt.”
louisiana’s Indian-American Governor Bobby Jindal, too, demanded that the US tighten border controls. “What I believe we need is a system of high walls and a broad gate. Right now, we’ve got the opposite,” he told CNN, noting that the US makes it very difficult for people to come into the country legally, but make it very easy for people to come in illegally.