Jeh Johnson, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), met with both vocal opponents and supporters of immigration reform on May 7th to discuss his own views on the deportation policies of the United States. The Obama administration has been up and down in the polls recently, partly because of the immigration reform issue, and now the DHS has been placed in the spotlight with its plans to conduct an examination of the efficacy of the efforts to enforce deportation policies to try to appease both camps.
Groups such as the Federation for American Immigration Reform, Progressives for American Immigration Reform, Numbers USA and the Center for Immigration Studies attended the meeting, which was run by the Department of Homeland Security, to hear what Johnson would say.
Johnson made no statement about whether the deportation review would result in any immediate action being taken or whether a timetable for results would be able to be developed afterward; however, immigrant advocates are confident that immigration reform can still take place in 2014.
Supporters from all around the United States are continuing to hope that high-profile support from the business community and in Congress will result in comprehensive legislation being passed. John Boehner, the House of Representatives’ speaker, has been increasingly vocal about the need to make progress on the issue and has been urging his colleagues in the Republican party to act for several months.