Republican of Colorado, Representative Scott Tipton, came into his town hall meeting and was soon greeting the crowd, including many of whom have decidedly different political opinions. Tipton is well aware of his district’s advocates for immigration reform, with pressure being exerted on lawmakers such as him after House Republicans ruled out immigration reform taking place before the end of 2013.
Trying to persuade Tipton is likely to be a hard sell, however, despite his claims that he has been “calling for immigration reform” for a long time now. For one thing, he is still undecided as to his own position on the debate’s most contentious point – what to do with the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants that are already illegally living in the United States. “We’ve got some that were looking for a better life, but they broke the laws to this country,” he insists. “That cannot be without penalty.”
Tipton does, nonetheless, seem willing to compromise when it comes to the issue of Dreamers, young undocumented immigrants who were children when they were brought to the United States by their parents, saying he wants to see their situation dealt with “compassionately.”
Democrats want Tipton to get on board with the broad immigration bill that they have introduced, which incorporates a path to US citizenship, and immigration advocacy groups are hoping to persuade him that there may be political consequences if he fails to take the necessary steps to allow such reform to take place.