House ‘Gang Of Eight’ Reach Deal On Immigration Bill; Path To Citizenship Proposed Would Take Two Years Longer Than Senate Bill

The House "Gang of Eight" announced that they had reached a compromise on a plan for immigration reform legislation after it was feared that disagreements over a few key issues would cause the split of the bipartisan group; formed to craft a proposal distinct from that of the Senate's "Gang of Eight."

The group managed to reach an agreement on Thursday evening after a two-hour meeting, which was said to be the last shot for the group to work out major differences. Among the major tenets of the proposal will be the offer of a path to citizenship for the estimated 11 million undocumented people living in the United States, which would take 15 years -- two years longer than that of the Senate bill.

"We have an agreement in principle. We're now going to work on finishing up the drafting of the bill," Rep. John Carter, R-Texas, a leader of the group, told the Associated Press. Carter and the other members declined to provide much in the way of details. The House "Gang of Eight" has kept mum throughout the process about details, largely preferring to keep wrangling over the bill behind closed doors.

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Aides had said in recent days that talks had broken down at a point which the four Democrats and four Republicans who make up the group described as being "95 percent there." The major sticking point was reported to be the issue of whether or how to extend health care coverage for immigrants who are currently in the country illegally, but who would be granted legal status under the bill.

Today, the Associated Press wrote that another point of contention was a new visa program for lower-skilled workers. The possibility that those questions could simply be excluded from a bipartisan proposal had arisen earlier on Thursday.

The House group had said for months that they were approaching a conclusion on a deal and reached the compromise as outside pressure to do so reached its peak. The Senate's own version of the bill, which has been backed by President Obama, is currently being debated by the Senate Judiciary Committee, which on Thursday held its third work session on the 300 amendments to the bill. The Senate group has pledged to band together to strike down any possible "poison pill" amendments which might cause supporters on either side of the aisle to back away.

A Senate vote is expected in June.