Although both of the major political parties are talking about immigration reform, a sticking point remains the idea of granting a path for US citizenship for illegal immigrants. The majority of Democrats are pushing for citizenship, but there are a number of Republicans who are less than keen on the idea of taking immigration reform quite that far.
In the meantime, Colorado has become the fourth state in the whole of the US to take on an immigration “compact,” which is similar to that of the one which was adopted by the state of Utah, complete with guiding principles for the idea of comprehensive immigration reform. This plan already has the backing of a group of bipartisan lawmakers.
Healthcare in the United States is another factor that will be impacted by the immigration issue. When the health reform plan of President Barack Obama has been fully implemented, it is expected that undocumented immigrants will make up around a quarter of the people who do not have insurance, and bigger caseloads of newly insured patients arriving at hospitals might mean accessing care becomes a lot more difficult.