Immigration Reform 2014: Obama Urges House Democrats To Keep Pushing For Vote

The Associated Press reports that at an appearance at a House Democrat retreat at Maryland’s Eastern Shore on Thursday, President Barack Obama urged representatives to keep up efforts to push immigration reform despite opposition from the chamber’s Republican majority. The president told party members that some House Republicans did want to see a bipartisan overhaul passed, but added that “they're worried, and they're scared about the political blowback …we can all appreciate the maneuverings that take place, particularly in an election year.”

The Washington Post writes that Obama went on to acknowledge the toll that the current impasse continued to take on members of the public. His administration continues to oversee deportations which in 2013 were carried out at a rate of 1,000 people per day. "When it comes to immigration reform, we have to remind ourselves that there are people behind the statistics, that there are lives that are being impacted, that punting and putting things off for another year, another two years, another three years, it hurts people," he said. "It hurts our economy. It hurts families."

Politico reports that Democratic minority whip in the House, Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) announced on Thursday in an appearance on MSNBC that House Democrats would begin gathering signatures for a discharge petition to force a vote on raising the minimum wage. Using the rare tactic -- by which a majority of House representatives in both parties agree to bypass the chamber’s leadership -- to address immigration reform was suggested by a Washington Post op-ed writer and a day later by New York Senator Chuck Schumer. House Democrats are still undecided on whether they would take it up.