NumbersUSA
Chris Chmielenski
Fri, Sept 27th

The immigration news from the last few weeks has had more ups and downs and twists and turns than a Hollywood blockbuster movie!

Many thought an amnesty for the nation's 11-18 million illegal aliens was inevitable after the Schumer-Rubio-Obama amnesty passed through the Senate in June. But a reluctant House facing other pressing issues like Syria, healthcare, and the debt ceiling have dominated the news since Congress returned from its August recess.

But that doesn't mean we can drop our guard! There's still plenty of time for the House to act on immigration this year, and there will still be time in 2014 before election season begins.
So where are we now?

Five immigration-related bills have passed through their respective committees in the House and await a decision from Leadership - 1) The Border Security Results Act, 2) the SAFE Act (interior enforcement), 3) The Legal Workforce Act (mandatory E-Verify), 4) The SKILLS Visa Act (high-skilled worker increases), and 5) The AG Act (agriculture guest-worker reform).

There are also reports of two bills being drafted that would grant amnesty and a path to citizenship for young illegal aliens and that would grant amnesty and work permits (reportedly without a "special" path to citizenship) for the remaining illegal aliens living in the U.S.

The Border Security 'Results' Act would likely be Leadership's first choice for a floor vote, but the bill really doesn't do much and it even weakens current law. Our legislative analyst, Grant Newman, does a good job of breaking down the legislation in his new blog.

Regardless of the steps taken by Leadership, if a bill is indeed brought to the floor and passed, it's almost a certainty that the Senate will amend the bill with the Schumer-Rubio-Obama bill forcing a conference face-off between the House and Senate. Not one GOP House Leader has commented on what they would do in such an event, and therein lies the danger.

Furthermore, House Democrats, who are getting a bit antsy, have begun their own push for a comprehensive blanket amnesty led by Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. (Read more here.)

Should House Leadership decide to bring an immigration-bill to the floor this year, the most opportune time would be in October. There are only 8 legislative days each in November and December, and much of that time may be dedicated to funding the government for the rest of the 2014 fiscal year. The next few weeks will be spent on the debt limit, but with that issue scheduled to climax in mid-October, two legislative weeks would still remain in the latter half of the month.

What can you do?

Beginning next week, we'll begin amping up our efforts to increase the grassroots' pressure on House Members. The best time to derail a blanket amnesty is before any immigration bill gets to the House floor and starts gaining momentum. So, over the next week or so, be sure to check your email for phoning and faxing opportunities. Our Local Activism Coordinator, Melanie Oubre, will also be sending out alerts calling for local district office visits at the end of next week.

We know it may seem quiet on the immigration issue outside the beltway, but a true and real threat for amnesty is alive and well in Washington.

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