President Obama has high hopes that 2014 will be the year for an overhaul of immigration laws in the U.S.
Advocates of reform are beginning to rally around an idea to grant immigrants legal status in the U.S. and leave the question of citizenship out of the legislation. A recent Pew Research Center poll found that being able to live and work in the U.S. legally without the threat of deportation was more important to Latinos by 55% to 35%.
President Obama has specified that he is willing to accept the House’s “bill-by-bill approach” proposal, as long as all the main points from the 2013 Senate passed bipartisan bill are covered. However, the president stressed that the “final immigration legislation must contain a path toward citizenship for immigrants who are in the United States illegally.”
Republicans who once opposed the Senate immigration bill seem more willing to make this a promising year as well.
“If the Democrats are willing to come halfway, I think we can pass something, some meaningful reform that would help the 11 million who are here,” said Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky on ABC. A legislative achievement would fulfil an Obama promise that many Latinos say is overdue.
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