Flood of Amendments to Comprehensive Immigration Reform

Posted by Matthew Green | May 08, 2013 | 0 Comments

The recently announced bipartisan Senate immigration bill on Comprehensive Immigration Reform is now being debated amongst Senate members, and has drawn a flood of proposed amendments. Of the 301 amendments, two-thirds are from Senate Republicans, the Washington PostWashington Post reports.

The most threatening among the proposed amendments are a measure that would reduce the total number of immigrants that would be able to apply for citizenship, another measure that would grant Congress more authority over border security, and one that would require undocumented immigrants to provide DNA evidence.

On the other side of the aisle, some Democrats have put forth proposals as well. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) has proposed allowing same sex spouses and partners of U.S. Citizens to apply for visas.

This high volume of amendments promises a long debate process in the coming weeks, but the bipartisan "Gang of Eight" that proposed the bill is confident it will pass. The group has vowed to fend off potential "poison pills," or proposals that are intended to sink the bill in its entirety.

Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) told the Washington Post: "Most of the suggestions we have heard raise legitimate points and suggestions on how to improve the bill...The good news is that...most conservatives are ready to support immigration reform, so long as it takes serious steps to prevent another wave of illegal immigration in the future."

Policy analysts expect that the bill in its final form will be significantly more right-leaning than the one proposed.

About the Author

Matthew Green

Managing Partner. Green | Evans-Schroeder (formerly Law Offices of Matthew H. Green) focuses on the aggressive defense of immigrants. A native of Arizona, Mr. Green understands the difficulties that immigrants and families of immigrants face when a loved one is charged with a crime. He knows how frightening it can be for some...

Comments

There are no comments for this post. Be the first and Add your Comment below.

Leave a Comment

Arizona's "Crimmigration" Law Firm

If you are not a U.S. citizen, and you are charged with a crime, you automatically have two legal systems that threaten to penalize you with incarceration and deportation. Our law firm concentrates its practice on assisting foreign nationals charged with crimes to avoid deportation.

Menu