GOP Speaker Boehner Says They’re Ready to Write Principles for Immigration Overhaul
The Los Angeles Times reported that Boehner’s leadership team was drafting “principles” for overhauling immigration laws that will be presented in coming weeks. His remarks were made Wednesday (Jan. 8, 2013) during the first private meeting of House Republicans in the new year.
“We are working on a standards or principles document,” Boehner said, according to a person in the room granted anonymity to discuss the private session. The document is being drafted by Boehner, his leadership team, including House Majority Leader Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), as well as other members interested in the issue.
House Republican leaders believe that the GOP needs to support an immigration overhaul to woo Latino voters in advance of the 2016 presidential election – if that’s even possible with the rampant obstructionism that has plagued the House. In any event, we all sit waiting to hear about this step-by-step approach that he’s been talking about for months.
The small team of GOP members and staff has been working to draft a statement of basic principles on immigration policy for several weeks. The effort is being coordinated by Rebecca Tallent, former immigration advisor to Arizona Sen. John McCain and a veteran of the previous effort to pass immigration reform during the second term of President George W. Bush. Boehner hired Tallent in December.
It was reported that the goal is to present the document — which could serve as an outline for future legislative action — before the House GOP retreat at a resort on the Eastern Shore of Maryland on Jan. 29th.
It is likely that Boehner will wait until the filings for Republican primaries are past before things really get moving in order to protect Republican incumbents from having to vote on immigration bills that could be used against them by far right candidates.
We will continue to keep you posted.
For more reading: LA Times, Washington Post
Tags: Comprehensive Immigration Reform, Congress, GOP Immigration Principles, Immigration Legislation, Immigration News, Immigration Reform, Speaker Boehner