Supporters of immigration reform are beginning to worry that they are starting to lose the message war on the issue and say that a full-on campaign from business groups and other advocates that have ties to Republicans in the House of Representatives is needed in order to turn things around.
With action in the House of Representatives now on hold until at least September, backers of the immigration bill see the month-long recess of Congress as being vital to their cause and are making plans to make sure that support for the overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws will be heard as loudly as the message being spouted by their opponents when lawmakers head back to their districts in order to hold town hall meetings as well as other events.
“Here’s the fact: We’re not winning, so we’ve got to wage a campaign,” admits Senator John McCain, one of the Gang of Eight Senators who came up with the immigration reform bill in the first place. “There are many members of the House that don’t want to take up any bill at all, as you know. What our job is, we want to convince them to at least pass legislation, so that we can go to conference and work together.”
The immigration reform legislation has been stuck in limbo after it passed the Senate last month. Many members of the House of Representatives are opposed to offering a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants