Amendments to Comprehensive Immigration Reform Could Sink Bill

May 8, 2013. More than 300 amendments to the "Gang of Eight's" bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform bill have been filed ahead of this past Tuesday's deadline. The Senate's Judicial Committee will begin considering and voting on the bill starting this Thursday, May 9. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) led the Senate by proposing 77 amendments to the bill. Not to be outdone, plenty of Democrats also submitted their own amendments too. Some of the proposed changes include Senator Jeff Session's (R-AL) amendment to limit the number of immigrants gaining legal status under the bill and Senator Mike Lee's (R-UT) proposal to significantly increase the number of low-skilled workers allowed into the country on temporary visas.

The sheer number of amendments could possibly derail the fragile compromise reached by the bipartisan "Gang of Eight" in the Senate alone, notwithstanding the uncertain outcome in the House of Representatives (which too has promised a more stricter version of comprehensive immigration reform, but has yet to deliver).

Leading immigration advocates remain hopeful nonetheless that the bill will clear this hurdle, due in part to the "Gang of Eight's" influence in the Senate, public opinion, and pressure from the White House. The Judiciary Committee indeed is comprised of four of the eight senators who crafter the comprehensive immigration reform bill.

And while critics are quick to point the finger at Republicans for potentially derailing immigration reform, it is an amendment from Judiciary Committee Chairman Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) that quite possibly has the biggest potential to derail the bill. His proposal seeks to allow same-sex couples to petition for green cards for their foreign partner, much the way straight couples do. Already the Republican members of the "Gang of Eight" have threatened to derail the bill if gay couples are included in the comprehensive immigration reform bill. Said Dick Durbin (D-IL) about the same-sex couples provision "[w]e never discussed that. We never took a vote on it", criticizing his Democrat colleague's proposal.

I've said it quite often on this blog that immigration reform is by no means a certainty. We haven't even dealt with the House yet (perhaps the biggest challenge to immigration reform) and now find the bill in danger in the Senate. How this all plays out, one can only guess. For now though, if you have an immigration matter that requires a lawyer, please visit www.kpimmigrationlaw.com or call 949-440-3240.