A bill that will completely overhaul the U.S. immigration system was able to make its way through the Senate Judicial Committee with bi-partisan support and is expected to pass easily in the Senate controlled by Democrats. It remains to be seen if it will be able to pass in the House as Republicans prepare to oppose the reform, according to Reuters.
Republican Party leaders have been trying to convince members of their party that supporting the immigration bill will help them gain more support among the Hispanic community, now House Republicans are questioning whether that would happen, according to Reuters.
"There is no evidence to support this idea that Republicans will pick up a lot of votes if we give amnesty to 11 million folks," Rep. Tim Huelskamp, R-Kan., told Reuters.
Other Republican members of the house oppose the idea of giving amnesty to any of the immigrants currently in the U.S. illegally, regardless of whether or not it will help the party gain votes in November.
"I don't think we should be worried about the political impact but instead what is in the best interest of America," Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala., told Reuters. "People who are going to break out laws, I don't want them in this country."
The bill in its current form includes a pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens currently within the country as long as they meet certain stipulations including paying back taxes, learning English and holding a job. It is widely believed by Senate Democrats that if a version of the bill passes the House excluding the pathway to citizenship that it will not receive Congressional approval, reports the Associated Press.
Ron Bonjean, a political analyst, believes that if the Republican Party is unable to gain some support within the Hispanic community that they will become obsolete.
"We have to have immigration reform to neutralize the charge that we are anti-Hispanic," Bonjean told Reuters. "If Republicans refuse to pass comprehensive immigration reform, we will become obsolete as a party within 10 years."
Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, is working with House members to craft a competing bi-partisan immigration bill. Labrador expressed that action should be taken regardless of the political cost.
"We aren't going to win any votes if we do immigration reform," Labrador told Reuters. "But we might actually do the right thing for America, which is the most important thing."