The immigration reform seems all of a sudden to have gotten the push it needed to find its way out of the limbo it has been lingering for years. However, despite the highly motivated Congress, a rift appeared between Republicans and Democrats after President Obama outlined on Tuesday his proposal for a bill to overhaul the U.S. immigration system.
The disagreement essentially center on securing the border with Mexico. While the “Gang of Eight” senators insist on first toughening border security before allowing illegal immigrants to take steps to gain citizenship, the Obama plan does not.
"I think that would be a terrible mistake," Rubio told Fox News. "We have a bipartisan group of senators that have agreed to that. For the president to try to move the goalposts on that specific requirement, as an example, does not bode well in terms of what his role's going to be in this or the outcome."
That difference was enough to raise concerns among Republican lawmakers who are trying to frame a package that can pass the Republican-led House of Representatives. A Hispanic Republican, Senator Marco Rubio, warned Obama not to ignore his party's concerns about border security.
"We need Congress to act on a comprehensive approach that finally deals with the 11 million undocumented immigrants," Obama said at a high school in Las Vegas.
Obama spoke a day after a group of influential Senate Democrats and Republicans laid out a broad plan of their own that is similar to White House immigration proposals.
Under the Obama proposal, undocumented workers would be required to register, undergo national security and criminal background checks, pay fees and penalties, learn English and go to the back of the immigration line behind those who are applying to enter the country legally.
"We all agree these men and women should have to earn their way to citizenship. But for comprehensive immigration reform to work, it must be clear from the outset that there is a pathway to citizenship," Obama said.
However, Republicans will likely oppose any immigration plan that doesn't put border security first.
"This provision is key to ensuring that border security is achieved, and is also necessary to ensure that a reform package can actually move through Congress," said newly elected Senator Jeff Flake of the border state of Arizona.
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