According to Senator Dick Durbin (D. IL), the Gang of 8 may finally have a comprehensive immigration reform bill by the end of the week:
http://www.wbez.org/...
Sen. Durbin is a member of the bipartisan group of eight senators tasked with developing comprehensive immigration reform. At a press conference Monday, he pushed back on suggestions that the bill may not include ramped up border security.
“The Republicans wouldn’t have sat down at the table if we didn’t agree to more border security, and it will be included,” he said. “It goes beyond anything I would have suggested but that’s the nature of a compromise.”
He said Democrats insisted on a “pathway to citizenship” for approximately 11 million immigrants living in the country without legal papers. The bill is also expected to include a guest worker program for low-skilled workers.
Sen. Durbin suggested the group could propose a bill by the end of the week. Once it emerges from the bipartisan group, any immigration reform deal will go through Senate Judiciary Committee and be subject to debate on the senate floor. - WBEZ 91.5, 4/8/13
CNN has the details about the bill:
http://www.cnn.com/...
A source familiar with negotiations recently told CNN that the eight senators have tentatively reached agreement on some of the thorniest issues, including the establishment of a path to citizenship and the creation of a system to assess the state of border security.
The Senate proposal could come "in the next couple of weeks," Graham said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press." But McCain told reporters later Sunday morning that he still thinks "it's very likely" and "very possible" to have it done by the end of the week.
"I'm guardedly optimistic. I can't guarantee it. But we have literally almost all of the issues resolved," he said.
Specifically, the senators have agreed to a 13-year path to citizenship, the source said. It would take 10 years for undocumented workers to get a green card, and then another three years to gain citizenship.
Along the way, undocumented workers would have to pay a fine and back taxes, and pass a background check. The size of the fine remains unclear.
No undocumented worker would be eligible for citizenship until the border is considered secure. To measure border security, a commission would be created with the task of establishing and assessing a set of quantifiable criteria. The commission would be made up of officials named by state and federal leaders. - CNN, 4/7/13
Senator Chuck Schumer (D. NY) who is part of the Gang of 8 and has been the one handling the negotiations between the Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO:
http://www.naplesnews.com/...
A painstaking deal reached a week ago knit together traditional enemies, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO, in an accord over a new low-skilled worker program. The proposal would allow up to 200,000 workers a year into the county to fill jobs in construction, hospitality, nursing homes and other areas where employers say they have a difficult time hiring Americans.
The negotiators also have pledged to move the bill through the Senate Judiciary Committee and onto the floor according to what's known in Senate jargon as "regular order," trying to head off complaints from conservatives that the legislation is being rammed through. - Naples News, 4/7/13
Durbin also assures that the final immigration bill will include the DREAM Act:
http://altondailynews.com/...
Durbin says it will still be a long process as he expects dozens of amendments to be filed.
A side note: asked about the DREAM Act, Durbin says it will be part of any comprehensive immigration reform.
A group of eight senators, Democrats and Republicans, have been working towards a final bill. Durbin is part of that “Group of Eight.” - Alton Daily News, 4/8/13
The one issue that has been holding up the bill is the disagreement over agricultural workers:
A sharp disagreement over the future treatment of undocumented workers on America's farms, however, is currently holding up progress on the bill.
The two key sticking points are wages and the number of visas to be granted to undocumented farm workers, two other sources close to the talks confirmed Friday. Four senators -- Rubio, Bennet, Utah Republican Orrin Hatch, and California Democrat Dianne Feinstein -- are trying to deal with the matter.
"It's the one major unresolved issue," one of the sources told CNN.
The sources were unable to provide specifics in terms of the number of visas or wage levels under consideration. But generally speaking, agricultural businesses have an interest in more visas and lower wages. Labor leaders, in contrast, typically support fewer visas and higher wages.
Saying there are a "few little kerfuffles" to work out in the drafting of the legislation -- referring to the disagreement over agricultural workers -- Schumer told CNN on Sunday the senators have written "most of the bill" and feel hopeful that they can announce a full agreement at the end of the week.
"We've solved most of the issues, there are a few more to go, there are a few more today and tomorrow. I'm very optimistic we'll be able to solve those last few problems," he said, declining to get into specifics. - CNN, 4/7/13
Hopefully Durbin and his fellow Senators will keep their word and have something for us by the end of the week. Senator Lindsey Graham (R. SC) sounds confident that immigration reform can become a reality this year:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Sunday that the Republican Party as a whole has abandoned its opposition to allowing a pathway for citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Graham, a member of the group of senators negotiating immigration reform, known as the "gang of eight," guessed there was a 70-30 chance legislation would be enacted.
"The politics of self-deportation are behind us," Graham said on NBC's "Meet The Press," referring to a proposal advanced by Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney during the 2012 campaign.
"Mitt Romney's a good man. He ran in many ways a good campaign," Graham said. "But it was an impractical solution. Quite frankly, it was offensive. Every corner of the Republican Party -- from libertarians to the RNC, House Republicans and the rank-and-file Republican Party member -- is now understanding there has to be an earned pathway to citizenship. That gives us leverage on immigration with our Democratic friends." - Huffington Post, 4/7/13
We'll see about that.