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US Senate passes sweeping immigration reform
In
a vote hailed by US President Barack Obama, the Senate passed a
comprehensive immigration reform on Thursday that would help 11 million
people gain citizenship, but is expected to be blocked by the
Republican-controlled House of Representatives.
The U.S. Senate approved a landmark
immigration
bill on Thursday that would provide millions of undocumented immigrants
a chance to become citizens, but the leader of the House of
Representatives said the measure was dead on arrival in the House.
In
a rare show of bipartisanship, the Democratic-controlled Senate passed
the bill by a vote of 68-32, with 14 of the Senate’s 46 Republicans
joining all 52 Democrats and two independents in support of the bill.
But
any air of celebration was tempered by House Speaker John Boehner, who
hours before the vote emphasized that Republicans would “do our own
bill,” one that “reflects the will of our majority,” many of whom oppose
citizenship for immigrants who are in the United States illegally.
Any
bill in the Republican-controlled House is expected to focus heavily on
border security and finding immigrants who have overstayed their visas.
“Immigration reform has to be grounded in real border security,” Boehner said.
Republican
divisions over immigration were evident throughout the U.S. Capitol.
While Boehner was putting the brakes on the Senate bill, Republican
Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, a possible 2016 presidential candidate,
delivered a passionate speech urging passage of the measure that he
helped write.
After recounting his parents’ difficult lives in
Cuba and their struggles after immigrating to the United States, Rubio
said: “For over 200 years now, they (immigrants) have come; in search of
liberty and freedom, for sure. But often simply looking for jobs to
feed their kids and the chance of a better life.”
At the end of
the Senate debate, a packed gallery of supporters, who have labored
decades for such a moment, witnessed the vote that came after three
weeks of sometimes heated discussion. More than 100 children of illegal
immigrants who were brought to the United States by their parents hugged
each other when the bill passed.
President Barack Obama, praising
the bill, said it contained tough border security requirements and
“earned citizenship” for about 11 million undocumented residents.
“Today, the Senate did its job. It’s now up to the House to do the same,” Obama said in a statement.
Mexico’s
Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the Senate bill “has the
potential to improve the lives of millions of Mexicans living in the
United States today.”
The Senate vote came after several
unsuccessful attempts in the past decade or so to overhaul a U.S.
immigration law enacted in 1986. The goal has been to improve an
outdated visa system and help U.S. firms get easier access to foreign
labor ranging from farm and construction workers to high-skilled
employees.
Business and labor groups reached a deal on the new
visa system, which is part of the Senate bill. But controversy raged
over how much new border security was needed and how long the 11 million
should wait before becoming legal residents and then citizens.
Read More Here
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Local Advocates Watch Cautiously As Immigration Reform Heads To The US House
June 28, 2013 6:52 AM
SEIU members rally for immigration reform at LOVE Park (Credit: Molly Daly)
By Cherri Gregg
PHILADELPHIA (CBS)
– The immigration reform bill sailed through the United States Senate
yesterday, offering hope of citizenship to millions of undocumented
immigrants across the country (
see related story). Local advocates are a little nervous as the bill gears up to move into the House.
“It’s a little bit of a bitter sweet pill I think right now,” says Erika Almiron, executive director of
Juntos.
She says the community is happy the bill is moving forward, but afraid
that if it ever passes the United States House it won’t resemble the
Gang of 8 proposal originally lauded by immigration reform advocates.
“We see these concessions happening around this bill, so it just raises our concern as we move into the House,” she says.
Concessions
like adding tens of billions of dollars for stepped up border security
and adding more red tape to the path to citizenship. Natasha Kelemen of
the
Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition says the only recourse is to continue to push lawmakers.
Read More Here
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