Immigration Reform Presser (VIDEO)

Bipartisan Group of Senators Hold Press Conference to Discuss Immigration Reform Negotiations

By Matt Rooney The Save Jersey Blog

There appears to be a consensus in favor of immigration reform on Capitol Hill, Save Jerseyans.

Will it be another kick-the-can down the road bill like the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986? Or will we see a truly constructive compromise package emerge from the “Gang of Eight” deliberations?

Who knows. Some conservative voices are furious, but their public statements are still very light on details. What we do know: today’s big press conference (featuring liberals like Schumer, Durbin and Menendez standing alongside Republicans John McCain, Jeff Flake and Marco Rubio) signaled that the Senate is likely to pass something… what the House does is anyone’s guess…

Watch:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYsxkLO3Jxc

Matt Rooney
About Matt Rooney 8403 Articles
MATT ROONEY is SaveJersey.com's founder and editor-in-chief, a practicing New Jersey attorney, and the host of 'The Matt Rooney Show' on 1210 WPHT every Sunday evening from 7-10PM EST.

7 Comments

  1. Who knows, but it's about time Congress tackled immigration reform. Kicking the can down the road cannot be an option any longer.

  2. @Brendan The key for me is integration. I want these folks to join American society to the extent many of them haven't already. It's a big moment for Rubio…

  3. Integration happens over time. By the time the second generation of immigrants are born, their integration into American society becomes more concrete. How many second generation Italians can speak Italian, or how many of them have a genuine connection to the country of their ancestors? My father, aunts, and uncles were all immigrants, but most of my cousins can't speak a lick of Spanish.

  4. @Brendan That's the traditional American experience, but it's not happening in many quarters of the Southwest. We're seeing examples of third generation immigrants suffering from poverty, illiteracy, high crime rates, etc. and so on. A number of factors are to blame including a government dependency culture that doesn't incentivize integration.

  5. Yes, but it's not just the Mexican immigrants, it's also a problem in the Eastern European communites. There is really no way to force integration, but over time, the American society becomes the dominant culture. The majority of immigrant families I know learn English, integrate, and work hard, mostly because it is to their own interest to do so. I think it's largely a myth that immigrants don't integrate…it's been the same narrative since the earliest days of the country, and in the end every wave has integrated fully.

  6. Well, that article certainly makes the case for immigration reform. Obviously when we talk about immigration today, we are largely discussing the Mexicans. A lot of factors play into it, but we certainly share a significant portion of the blame for why the Mexicans are slower to integrate…and yes, I don't mind saying it, a lot of it has to do with bigotry many Americans display towards Mexican immigrants in particular.

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