Surprise, surprise. Republicans who don’t want immigration reform to pass are now trying to “slow down” the process by complaining that the debate is moving too fast. Here’s what that really means: Republican Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Jeff Sessions (R-AL), John Cornyn (R-TX), Mike Lee (R-UT), and Ted Cruz (R-TX)–are trying to stop reform.
These six Republicans Senators serve on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Today, they sent a letter today to committee chair Patrick Leahy (D-VT) asking him to slow the process down. They want more time to “read and analyze” the soon-to-be introduced bipartisan bill.
Right. We’ve been having debates about immigration for the past ten years, and most of these guys know the intricacies of immigration. Orrin Hatch used to be supportive of immigration reform and was an original sponsor of the DREAM Act, before he was against it. John Cornyn, a longtime hypocrite on the issue, introduced his own immigration bill in 2005. And Jefferson Beauregard Sessions is so closely linked to the anti-immigrant hate groups that he’s never met an pro-immigration bill he liked. What does he even need to study? If it helps immigrants, he’s voting no.
Here’s what the anti-immigrant cabal wrote:
Before the Immigration Reform and Control Act was first introduced in the Senate in 1982, the Committee had 100 hours of hearings with 300 witnesses before marking up a bill. Congress continued to debate the bill for the next three years, and even then, the Judiciary Committee spent three months reviewing the bill before it was reported in August of 1985. Accordingly, we respectfully request that the public be given adequate time, consistent with past practice in handling complex comprehensive immigration legislation, to read and analyze the contents of any such bill before it is listed on the Committee’s Executive Business Meeting agenda.
Heads up, Senators: immigrants and their families have already waited 27 years since the last time we passed comprehensive immigration reform. They should not be forced to wait any longer. And this delay tactic won’t work.
We know you don’t support immigration reform, so just say so—and let the American people judge you for it (cough, John Cornyn). But don’t try to stall legislative momentum by pretending that it’s all happening too fast. Americans are already sick and tired of inaction from Congress. They want results, not more of the same.
