Immigration 2013: Despite Boehner, Reform Not Dead

Despite John Boehner's statment that he had "no intention" of bringing comprehensive immigration reform to the Senate, Univision reports that there is still hope for significant change to happen next year. The Latin-news source spoke with a Republican analyst who said there are plans to take legislation to vote in March 2014. Boehner's comments struck a serious blow to the 11.7 million undocumented immigrants in the US, but according to Helen Aguirre Ferre, there is more to be seen from the Republican party on the issue.

Immigration reform has become a contentious issue, particularly after the government shut-down which has put time pressure on the White House. Ms. Aguirre Ferre said that the fault for the shut-dwon "lies with everyone, Republicans, Democrats and the White House," but she insisted there would be considerable reforms come March next year. "Congress was moving faster than the Senate to come towards an immigration bill, but it is much stricter in its methods of verifying employment, for example with the E-Verify, than the plans that the Senate had."

When Democrats who were negotiating a bill for immigration reform with Republicans in Congresss had come up with a plan, the White House considered the project was "too severe" and ordered it stopped, according to Aguirre, despite the fact that the plan was backed by legislators Nancy Pelosi, Xavier Becerra and Luis Gutiérrez. "The plan for the bill in Congress was more conservative than the plan in the Senate," she assured. "There was a 500 page document drawn up in the summer, but it was never presented."

Aguirre blamed President Obama for putting through a partial version of his Affordable Care Act: the analyst suggests that Texas Republicans John Carter and Sam Johnson ended their support for immigration reform, citing fears that Obama would "only implement the parts of the reform that he liked. Without confidence," Aguirre continued, "You can't have a bipartisan agreement."

However, when asked whether the legislation would come to light, Aguire stated that "supposedly it's planned to be submitted for a vote in March." So it would seem that despite the bleak outlook on Capitol Hill, hope for comprehensive immigration reform is not dead.