Immigration reform is not dead yet and many hope that a reform bill will be passed by the U.S. Congress by the end of this year. Reform activists also believe that a bill will be passed in this midterm election year. Immigration reform is the key issue for 2014.
The House Speaker John Boehner wants to get something done on immigration reform this year. In April, he mocked his own lawmakers for not taking action on this issue. However, Democrats and his party members were not impressed with his comments since it is his duty to bring an immigration bill to the House floor for a vote.
Boehner and his colleagues do not want a comprehensive immigration reform bill like the one that was passed by the U.S. Senate. They do not want to consider issues such as the legal status of undocumented immigrants, border security and guest worker programs at the same time; they prefer a piecemeal approach. Earlier, only the immigrant community and the Democrats were in favor of immigration reform, but now there is a lot of support from the conservatives too.
The House Republicans are now concerned about the mid-term elections. To maintain control of the House, they will need to attract the Hispanic and Asian American voters in the 44 districts held by them. Republicans may not receive enough support if they fail to pass a reform bill. This is one of the reasons why immigration reform will most likely be passed in 2014.
U.S. businesses want immigration reform as they believe that reforming the immigration system will make it easier for them to hire the workers they need. Moreover, millions of workers are employed by businesses owned by immigrants. The agricultural industry and many other businesses are dependent on immigrant workers. The business community is now urging the House Republicans to take action on immigration reform. These are a few reasons why the U.S. Congress will pass immigration reform this year.
