The Senate Judiciary Committee voted Tuesday to send the bipartisan immigration bill to the full Senate. The 800-plus page bill is by far the most ambitious attempt to overhaul the nation’s immigration system in nearly three decades. The version that will reach the floor is imperfect, but the fact that it emerged from committee at all, and largely intact, is a testament to both political parties’ willingness to compromise.
It is a grave disappointment, of course, that Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., was pressured to withdraw his amendment that would have allowed U.S. citizens to apply for green cards for their same-sex partners.
The legislation still faces plenty of hurdles. Some Republicans will argue, as they did Wednesday during a House hearing on the bill, that it doesn’t go far enough on border and internal enforcement. Others, such as Chris Crane, the head of a union that represents deportation officers, will stoke fears that immigration reform will create some kind of a public safety crisis.
Such arguments, however, are disingenuous. The bill actually sets aside more than $4 billion for drones and other technology to secure the border. And it strengthens internal enforcement by requiring employers to use a system that verifies the immigration status of new hires.
All in all, congressional negotiators from both parties have done a remarkable job of crafting a smart and humane bill that replaces an outdated and dysfunctional visa system with one that looks toward the future economic needs of the United States.
The Senate bill offers lawmakers an opportunity to do what they were elected to do. We hope they will be courageous enough to stand up to the anti-reform crowd-including those in the Republican-controlled House-who seek to defeat this landmark legislation.
Editorial, Pages 18 on 05/25/2013