While
we can only speculate whether immigration reform was one of House Speaker John
Boehner’s New Year’s resolutions, there are some signs that he is moving in
that direction. At the end of 2013, Boehner
hired Rebecca Tallent, the former adviser to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) on
immigration and a supporter of broad immigration reform. Ms. Tallent fought for comprehensive
overhauls of the immigration system in 2003 and 2007, albeit unsuccessfully. She knows the landscape and will likely be able to get things moving.
Boehner
has said that he is committed to a “step by step” approach to immigration
reform, rather than one big comprehensive bill.
“The American people are
skeptical of big, comprehensive bills, and frankly, they should be,” Mr.
Boehner told reporters recently. “The only way to make sure immigration reform
works this time is to address these complicated issues one step at a time. I
think doing so will give the American people confidence that we’re dealing with
these issues in a thoughtful way and a deliberative way.”
Mr.
Boehner recently criticized the Tea Party opposition during the recent budget deal in
Congress which further suggests that he is serious about overhauling the immigration
system despite vehement opposition from conservative Republicans. More moderate House Republicans see
immigration reform as essential to gaining the Hispanic vote in the 2016
presidential election. Mitt Romney, the
Republican nominee for president in 2012, took a hard line on immigration and
won only 27 percent of the Hispanic vote.
For
more on this subject, see this recent New York Times article.
