With immigration reform stuck in GOP-led House, will advocates reach goal of increased momentum?
Texas Insider Report: WASHINGTON, DC – A week into Congress’ summer recess, the overflow crowd in the Board of Commissioners meeting room was overwhelmingly white and older, and booed loudly when one audience member asked their Congressman to support a path to citizenship for immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally.
“The bottom line is there are plenty of immigration laws on the books. The House is in no rush to take up immigration,” said 2nd-term Republican Cong. Andy Harris (Baltimore, MD) at a recently held town-hall meeting just northeast of Baltimore.
Loud applause followed, as Harris shot the down the idea, calling it “a non-starter” that’s “not going anywhere fast” in the House.
A 56-year-old physician and son of Eastern European immigrants, Harris is in a safe GOP district, yet his position is far from unique.
For all the effort that business and labor groups, activists and others who support action on immigration say they’re pouring into making themselves heard during Congress’ 5-week August “Recess,” there are scores of House Republicans who are hearing very little of the clamor.
Immigration advocates are swarming the country this month, trying to persuade House Republicans to pass a comprehensive overhaul, but sometimes its hard to tell.
With immigration legislation stuck in limbo in the GOP-led House, that reality raises the question of how successful advocates can be in reaching their goal for this month: generating enough momentum to propel Congress to act when lawmakers return to Washington in September.
“Most of the energy is being spent on the folks who are gettable,” said Frank Sharry, executive director of America’s Voice, a pro-immigrant group.
“We’re not spending a lot of time on Republicans who are clearly going to vote `no.'”
Advocates are trumpeting comments from a few Republicans, including Daniel Webster of Florida, Aaron Schock of Illinois and Dave Reichert of Washington, indicating qualified support for eventual citizenship for those in the country illegally.
It’s unclear whether such developments are limited to a small number of lawmakers, or whether they become widespread enough to compel House Republicans to act on a far-reaching package of immigration bills that could be merged with a Senate-passed measure and sent to President Barack Obama.
The answer may determine the way forward in Congress for immigration legislation, and whether Obama will achieve one of his chief 2nd-term priorities.
“These Republican members are reflecting their constituents, so the challenge isn’t pressuring the Republican members.
“The challenge is to come up with a convincing and compelling argument for their constituents to agree to,” said GOP pollster David Winston, who advises House Republicans.
House Republicans overwhelmingly oppose the Senate bill, and many don’t want to grant citizenship to people who broke U.S. laws to be here. Instead of a single big bill, they prefer a step-by-step approach, beginning with border security.
But even that effort is not expected until October at the earliest, because Congress has only nine legislative days in September and they’re expected to be devoted to fiscal issues. No House committee has advanced legislation that would offer a path to citizenship to anyone here illegally.
That’s why advocates know they must change some minds this month.
Of the 233 Republicans in the House, 121 are on a list of House GOP targets distributed last month by senators who support an immigration overhaul.
America’s Voice says recent announcements bring to more than 20 the number of GOP House members who have indicated some kind of support for citizenship. It’s a position backed by majorities of voters in most nationwide polls. But the story is different in many GOP House districts, which often have few Latino voters and are drawn to make them safe for Republicans.
In Harris’ district outside of Baltimore, which includes towns north of Baltimore and the Eastern Shore, some residents said they strongly opposed citizenship for those here illegally.
“We’re in competition with millions of illegal aliens,” said Ed Hunter, 55, of Easton, after attending Harris’ town hall. “The law should be enforced. They should be deported.”
