With immigration reform making it past the Senate and to the House of Representatives, many are concerned now that the conservative-leaning House has declined to debate on the Senate bill and instead is working on a “piecemeal” approach to reform. Of the issues discussed so far, none have included a pathway to citizenship for the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants already in the country.
In interviews with Spanish-language media on Tuesday, President Obama stressed the necessity for a pathway to citizenship so that there wouldn’t be a permanent second-class.
House Speaker John Boehner has said that he wouldn’t allow a vote on the Senate bill unless a majority of House Republicans supported it. Although the House is currently controlled by Republicans, many, including Obama, believe that if the Senate bill were to come to a vote in the House, that it would pass – with virtually all Democrats and some Republicans voting in favor.
“If in fact the House recognized the smart thing, the right thing to do, was to go ahead and send the Senate bill to the floor for a vote, I think it would pass tomorrow,” Obama told Norma Garcia of Telemundo Dallas in a series of four interviews with Spanish-language news stations at the White House.
What we on Long Island can do is reach out to our local Representatives, including Peter King, to let them know that we want comprehensive immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship. He can be reached at 877-848-8289. More information can be found here.
