WASHINGTON — Two senators on opposite sides of the aisle are proposing comprehensive changes to immigration laws that would include a pathway to citizenship for the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants now in the United States.
Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who promoted similar proposals on separate Sunday news shows, said that no path to citizenship would be available until the country’s borders were secure.
Schumer told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he and Graham have resumed talks that broke off two years ago and “have put together a comprehensive, detailed blueprint on immigration reform” that has “the real potential for bipartisan support based on the theory that most Americans are for legal immigration, but very much against illegal immigration.”
Only when borders are secure could those in the U.S. without authorization “come out of the shadows, get biometrically identified, start paying taxes, pay a fine for the law they broke,” Graham told CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
“They can’t stay unless they learn our language, and they have to get in the back of line before they become citizens. They can’t cut in front of the line regarding people who are doing it right, and it can take over a decade to get their green card.”
Immigration policy has re-emerged as a major issue as Republicans seek ways to rebound from their election performance. More than 70% of Hispanic voters supported Obama.
The Associated Press