Immigration Reform

When it emerged that the suspects in the Boston Marathon explosions were immigrants of Chechen ancestry, journalist Roger Simon tweeted: “Unfair as it may be, I think liberalizing our immigration laws just suffered a setback.” It's too early to call Simon a prophet, but within a few hours, Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) was musing about a connection between Boston and immigration. "Given the events of this week, it's important for us to understand the gaps and loopholes in our immigration system," Grassley said.

The federal government has the authority to detain and deport immigrants who violate the law. But it also has the responsibility to ensure that those it holds while they fight their deportation cases aren't locked up for months, or years, without an opportunity to appear before an immigration judge who can determine whether their prolonged detention is warranted. This week the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the Obama administration's obligation to provide such hearings to immigrants detained for more than six months, at least in Southern California.

- Moments before a group of eight senators unveiled a sweeping bipartisan immigration overhaul Thursday, a smaller group launched the GOP opposition. Led by Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, the Republican push-back emerged as a muted affair. With just one other senator joining the afternoon event, the opponents created something of a lonely gang of two. That is a stark contrast to the heated Republican rhetoric in 2007 that greeted the last attempt to reach a deal on comprehensive immigration reform, before the party's leaders made a strategic decision after the November election to embrace an issue that is a priority among the growing Latino electorate.

On Tuesday, I wrote about two senators' bipartisan plan to expand background checks on gun buyers, saying it was a common-sense measure and should pass. On Wednesday, its sponsors -- Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia, an NRA member, and Republican Sen. Patrick J. Toomey of Pennsylvania -- all but conceded they don't have the votes. Thus, 26 children and teachers slaughtered in Newtown, Conn., and 12 people gunned down at a movie theater in Aurora, Colo.

WASHINGTON -- A bipartisan group of senators has introduced a bill to overhaul immigration laws and provide a path to legal status for an estimated 11 million people who overstayed their visas or illegally entered the United States, Senate aides said. The far-reaching legislative package would tighten border security, increase visas for foreign workers and toughen penalties against American employers who hire undocumented workers. Immigrants without legal status who have not committed a serious crime and meet other criteria would be able to obtain work permits and eventually apply to become permanent residents and U.S. citizens.

Central Valley farmers, Southern California bankers and Silicon Valley executives have all struggled to find workers - and they say an outdated immigration policy has been to blame. They're all hoping that a bipartisan group of U.S. senators will have the answer when it unveils its plan, as early as this week, to overhaul federal immigration laws. Their stance: Reform couldn't come quickly enough. "What's at stake is the future of our economy, whether we can remain the most entrepreneurial nation," said Steve Case, co-founder of America Online and now chairman of investment firm Revolution.

WASHINGTON - Complete satisfaction with the Senate's bipartisan immigration proposal was hard to find Tuesday as details of the bill became known, but despite reservations, a growing consensus was developing in favor of the proposal as the best chance in a generation to achieve comprehensive immigration reform. Republicans, in particular, largely held their fire on the issue, as the party's elected officials warmed to the prospect of getting more resources for border security in exchange for a path to legal status for the 11 million immigrants living in the U.S. without legal authorization.

WASHINGTON - President Obama said Tuesday that the immigration legislation drafted by a bipartisan group of senators is “largely consistent” with the principles he has laid out, and he pledged his support to help pass comprehensive reform. After a White House meeting with Sens. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.), Obama issued a statement suggesting the measure is a bipartisan deal he can get behind. “This bill is clearly a compromise,” Obama said in the statement, “and no one will get everything they wanted, including me.” The proposal “is largely consistent with the principles that I have repeatedly laid out for comprehensive reform,” the president said.

SACRAMENTO -- Pointing to an agreement reached between farmworker unions and growers on a migrant worker program, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Saturday that she expects immigration reform to be completed before Congress takes its summer recess. “It just seems like things are being worked out,” she told reporters at the annual convention of the California Democratic Party. “The eloquent voice of 70% of Hispanics voting for Democrats in the last election explained it really clearly to Republicans.” The agreement, reached late Friday, would establish a new "blue card" for workers already in the country, one of the last major components of sweeping legislation being drafted in the U.S. Senate.