Late Thursday afternoon, republicans in the House of Representatives, who hold the majority, unveiled a set of principles that will allow people who are undocumented in the United States to legalize their status.
“While these standards are certainly not everything we would agree with, they leave a real possibility that Democrats and Republicans, in both the House and Senate, can in some way come together and pass immigration reform that both sides can accept. It is a long, hard road but the door is open,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
The set of principles prevents any possibility for a special path to citizenship for the undocumented, but does allow them to live in the country legally if they pass background checks, pay fines and back taxes, learn to speak English and understand U.S. civics, and can support themselves without access to welfare.
Overall, there were mixed emotions from Republicans, Democrats and immigration reform advocates regarding the GOP’s announcement.
“We have gone from the Republicans saying ‘self-deportation’ and ‘veto the DREAM Act,’ to saying we need bipartisan solutions in just about a year. We are now talking about how people stay and how they come legally, not how we kick out 11 million people and build a big moat around the country,” said Rep. Luis Gutiérrez, an Illinois Democrat, and chair of the Immigration Task Force of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus
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