Senators pledge action on immigration reform
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Sen. Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, wrote Sunday that the existing system of permitting illegal immigrants to stay in the U.S. amounts to "de facto amnesty," and he called for "commonsense reform." ASSOCIATED PRESS |
WASHINGTON — Key Democratic and Republican senators are pledging to get a wide-ranging immigration bill through the Senate by summer even as they point to numerous pitfalls ahead.
The group of eight senators unveiled proposals Monday to secure the border, allow more guest workers, require tougher verification measures by employers and create a path to citizenship for 11 million illegal immigrants already in the country.
They expressed optimism they can succeed where numerous past efforts have failed. Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona said November's election losses show Republicans they need to take steps to win over Latino voters.
But the senators quickly encountered a cool reaction from other lawmakers, including Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who said immigration legislation is too important to be written in a back room.
