White House Pushing For Immigration Reform, Notes Houston Immigration Attorney
Mar 15, 2013
Houston, TX (Law Firm Newswire) March 14, 2013 – The White House has announced that it is geared up for the push for immigration reform.
The President has stated that he plans to hold a series of meetings with labor leaders, corporate business heads and progressive community leaders to lobby for their support of U.S. immigration reform in early 2013.
The Administration continues to face resistance from some Republicans who have yet to agree with the President on how to approach immigration reform. The U.S. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, in a speech to conservative American Enterprise Institute, indicated that the country must take into account the number of immigrants waiting to enter the U.S. legally and those who want to contribute to the country’s growth, while striving to better themselves.
“Immigration reform advocates have been eagerly waiting to see some real progress by the Administration,” said Houston immigration attorney Annie Banerjee.
President Obama, in his State of the Union speech to Congress on February 12, detailed his legislative priorities for the upcoming year. It is uncertain how the Administration’s latest immigration approach will mesh with the immigration proposals just released by the bipartisan Senate “group of eight.” The President is proposing that the country’s estimated 11 million illegal immigrants be given a clear-cut path to citizenship, which involves paying fines, passing criminal background checks, and being processed after legal applicants.
Republicans are pushing to defer a citizenship program until stricter border policies are in place. While their immigration policy strategy has yet to be fully fleshed out, that may soon change: the Judiciary Committee of the Republican-controlled House of Representatives has begun hearings to explore the immigration system and border security. Advocates for immigration reform are watching the Republican hearing, focused on whether they will focus mostly on piecemeal reforms, including guest workers, high-tech visas and border security, or if they will support more comprehensive reform efforts.
How the Republicans approach immigration reform now could make a huge difference to their party four years from now. Leading Republicans have articulated concern that their party alienated Hispanic voters with anti-immigrant rhetoric during the 2013 Presidential election: Democrat Obama was backed by more than 70 percent of Hispanic voters.
Annie Banerjee is a Houston immigration lawyer specializing in helping people become United States citizens. The law offices assist in visas and other legal immigration requirements as well. To learn more, visit http://www.visatous.com.
Law Offices of Annie Banerjee
131 Brooks Street, Suite #300
Sugar Land, Texas 77478
Phone: (281) 242-9139
