Rep. Bishop: Congress Will Never Pass Comprehensive Immigration Reform

KCPW (Utah) : February 22 , 2008 -- by Elizabeth Ziegler

"Unlike his colleague, Third District Representative Chris Cannon, Bishop says he has no problem with individual states drafting immigration policy. The only thing Congress does well, he says, is uniformity - creating policies for border security, for instance."

Another member of Utah's Congressional Delegation told the Legislature that Congress is unlikely to pass comprehensive immigration reform anytime soon. First District Representative Rob Bishop visited Capitol Hill Thursday and answered questions from lawmakers in the House and Senate about the controversial issue.

"It's very obvious that Congress will never come up with a comprehensive bill. Because there are too many parts to it that you can beat at and no one can get a majority to actually go with it," Bishop says. "But it is possible for us to take each individual problem area and solve that problem."

Unlike his colleague, Third District Representative Chris Cannon, Bishop says he has no problem with individual states drafting immigration policy. The only thing Congress does well, he says, is uniformity - creating policies for border security, for instance.

"I also do not believe in the old concept that only Washington can solve every problem, that the significance of the issue has no relationship with the location of where decisions about that issue are made," Bishop says. "I also don't believe that if you get all the experts in Washington together, you can solve every problem in the world."

Bishop's visit to the Senate interrupted a lengthy debate on a sweeping immigration bill, SB 81. The bill's sponsor, Washington County Senator John Hickman, says his bill is needed because Congress has failed to pass comprehensive immigration reform. A podcast of Bishop's address to the Senate is available below.

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