Comprehensive immigration reform has been a focus for the Obama administration but recent statements by Republican leadership signals a rocky road ahead. On February 7th, House Speaker John Boehner stated that “The American people, including many of my members, don’t trust that the [immigration] reform that we’re talking about [with tighter border security as a prerequisite] will be implemented as it’s intended to be. Boehner explains that Republican mistrust is due to the actions on the new healthcare law, “The president seems to change the healthcare law on a whim, whenever he likes… Now he’s running around the country telling everyone that he’s going to keep acting on his own… And he’s feeding more distrust about whether he’s committed to the rule of law.”

In addition to the Republican mistrust, many Republicans insist that the GOP should wait until next year when the party might control the Senate as well as the House. Currently, Democrats have a 55-45 majority in the senate but more Democratic senate seats are up for reelection giving the Republicans an opportunity to seize majority control during the midterm election year. If Republicans can control both the House and the Senate, it will be much easier for conservatives to dominate immigration reforms. Republican Representative Raul Labrador told reports that “I think it’s a mistake for us to have an internal battle in the Republican Party this year about immigration reform… I think when we take back the Senate in 2014, one of the first things we should do next year after we do certain economic issues, I think we should address the immigration issue.” Republican Rep. Joe Barton added that “This is not an issue that’s ready for prime time to move legislatively”.

The Senate passed a bipartisan bill last June that would improve border security, and provide measures to offer citizenship to the 11 million illegal immigrants living in the U.S. This bill has been stalled in the House where Republicans have rejected the inclusive approach for a bill by bill process. Recent statements over the past weeks show signs of more legislative stalling. The future of comprehensive immigration reform seems unclear but doubtful that significance process will be made this year.

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Founded in 1996, Zhang & Associates, P.C. offers legal services to clients nationwide in all aspects of U.S immigration law. We have successfully handled thousands of immigration cases.

At Zhang & Associates, P.C., our attorneys and supporting professionals are committed to providing high-quality immigration and non-immigration visa services. We specialize in NIW, EB-1, PERM, and I-485 cases. In the past eighteen years, we have successfully helped thousands of clients get green cards. If you plan to apply for a green card, please send your CV to Attorney Jerry Zhang (info@hooyou.com) for a free evaluation.

Zhang & Associates, P.C.

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(02/11/2014)