Washington Week: Focus on Immigration Reform, Boston Bombing Aftermath
This week, U.S. lawmakers will weigh in on a bipartisan proposal to
overhaul America’s oft-criticized immigration system and resolve the
status of an estimated 11 million people who entered the country
illegally or overstayed visas. The bill’s unveiling late last week was
overshadowed by fast-moving events surrounding the Boston bombing.
With the eyes of the nation fixed on Boston, major legislative
developments took a back seat last week. A push to reform America’s gun
laws hit a roadblock in the Senate, and Democratic and Republican
senators - the so-called Gang of Eight - presented a long-awaited
immigration reform proposal.
Republican Marco Rubio said, “First and foremost, it is about
modernizing our legal immigration system. It is about helping to attract
the world’s best and brightest talent, and to keep the world’s best and
brightest talent.”
The top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Patrick Leahy, says
the status quo is unacceptable. “The dysfunction of the system affects
all of us. Now is our time to fix it," he said.
The bill sets forth a long and arduous path for the undocumented to
attain U.S. citizenship. That provision amounts to amnesty that will
attract more illegal border-crossers, according to critics such as
Republican Congressman Lou Barletta.
“We have our immigration laws for two reasons. One, to protect our
national security. And two, to protect American jobs," he said.
The national security component of the immigration debate could become a
focal point in the aftermath of the Boston bombing. Both suspects came
to the United States legally from abroad.
While their motives have not been definitively ascertained, they are
already being mentioned as a cautionary tale by skeptics of immigration
reform, including Republican Senator Chuck Grassley.
“How can individuals evade authority and plan such attacks on our
soil,?" he asked. How can we beef up security checks on people who wish
to enter the United States? 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?”
Gang of Eight senators are predicting long and fierce debate on immigration reform. Democratic Senator Charles Schumer:
“There will be perils we cannot even anticipate, but we start off with
optimism, because this bipartisan agreement gives us a sturdy ship to
ride out the stormy seas ahead," he said.
More about the Boston bombing could be learned if the surviving suspect
recovers from wounds sustained in a gun battle with police and shares
information with interrogators. Meanwhile, the debate on immigration
reform is moving forward at the Capitol.
fuente: La Voz de América, http://www.voanews.com/content/washington-week-immigration-reform-boston-marathon-bombing/1646049.html
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