Boehner Could Get Immigration Done Tomorrow

The U.S. Senate passed a comprehensive immigration bill, SB 744, last June by a vote of 68-32.  From the liberal perspective it was pretty harsh, requiring people who are here peacefully providing for themselves and their families to wait 13 years for a path to citizenship.  It starts after  they have paid fines and application fees and waited 10 years as a "Registered Provisional Immigrant," demonstrating a work history all of that time with gaps of no more than 60 days, which is not always an easy feat for farm workers.  After that, they could apply for "permanent residence" and wait up to three more years.  The clock wouldn't start on any of this before the Border Patrol is doubled to 38,000 personnel, an additional 750 miles of fence is built, and their budget is doubled to $7 billion a year.  That's on top of a system that's already doubled its budget and personnel once since 1993.

But at the Republican price of making sure plenty of people get punished for many more years, at least there would at long last be a solution to the shadowy legal status of an estimated 11 million people in this country.  And it does include a DREAM Act provision to legalize young children brought in by their parents.  Fourteen Republican Senators joined the entire Democratic caucus to break the logjam and pass 744.  But since then, the GOP-controlled House of representatives has not taken up the legislation.  Observers agree there are plenty of votes in the House to pass immigration, counting all 199 Democrats and at least 25 of the 233 Republicans.  However, since the majority of the Republicans are opposed, Speaker John Boehner has allowed this national problem to fester rather than take a stand against the hardliners of his party.

The Speaker spoke of this recently back in his home district in Ohio.  He says he'd like to get immigration handled but says his GOP colleagues are afraid of the issue.  He then goes on to mock  their timidity.  He's really pretty funny.  See the you tube video here.  He chides them, reminding them that the reason they are elected is to make decisions.  What's ironic about the whole thing, of course, is that as Speaker of the House Boehner himself could order it brought up for a vote and get it solved tomorrow.  Instead, just like those he ridicules,  the Speaker is too afraid of criticism to take action on behalf of the peace of mind of 11 million human beings and on thousands of businesses that need a reliable labor supply.  It's shameful.