Senators Preparing to Waylay Immigration Reform Plan
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iStockphoto/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — The “Gang of Four” hopes to sabotage plans by “The Gang of Eight” to pass comprehensive immigration reform.
Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, Jeff Sessions of Alabama, Mike Lee of Utah and Chuck Grassley of Iowa, who all opposed the measure when it passed the Senate Judiciary Committee, have sent a letter to colleagues, hoping to keep the legislation from gaining the necessary 60 votes for passage.
Cruz, Sessions, Lee and Grassley wrote, “We need immigration reform, but the American people deserve better than a 1,000-page bill that makes our immigration system more complex and less accountable without truly ensuring border security. Americans expect their government to end the lawlessness, not surrender to it.”
Specifically, the Republicans contend the group of eight bipartisan senators is putting the cart before the horse by not addressing border security and fixing the immigration system first. They oppose “immediate” legalization of undocumented aliens.
Smooth sailing wasn’t expected anyway when the bill comes up for debate next week, with senators expected to tack on plenty of amendments that could seriously water down the effort to pass meaningful immigration reform.
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