Nativism enjoys a strong presence in the Tea Party Caucus among House Republicans. In some instances, Tea Party groups are leading the charge against comprehensive reform. And people who are highly identified with the Tea Party are anxious about Latino immigrants taking over “their” country. Moreover, 67 House Republicans won seats with the support of the Tea Party. The Republican Party is 89 percent white, and 97 percent of Republican House districts in the 113 th Congress have white majorities. Rather, they represent constituencies haunted by anxiety associated with the perception that they’re “losing their country” to immigrants from south of the border. It’s because House Republicans aren’t motivated by true conservatism. Why, then, do many House Republicans oppose comprehensive immigration reform, as presented in the Senate bill?Įdited by Henry Aaron, James M. Additionally, the CBO estimates that the Senate bill promises to reduce illegal immigration by at least one-third to one-half in the ten years following its enactment.Ĭonservatives not affiliated with the House embrace the legislation because it’s consistent with major tenets of conservatism. That’s a savings of almost $1 trillion ($820 billion) over twenty years. The bill will also save taxpayers as much as an additional 685 billon in the ensuing ten years. ![]() The Senate bill goes a long way toward addressing this need.įor starters, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the bill will save approximately $135 billion during the first decade of implementation, a figure that includes the cost of securing the border. Here’s the rub, though: In addition to prioritizing law and order, conservative doctrine also requires a commitment to fiscal responsibility. It seems that some “illegal aliens” will be eligible for legal status even if they’ve been convicted of a felony-albeit one that was ultimately plead down. ![]() Fourth, the criterion for passing the criminal background check has a major loophole. Third, House Republicans also contend that the requirement to pay back taxes will be difficult to enforce. According to their calculations, it’ll only amount to $7 per month, and can be waived. However, House Republicans complain that the fine imposed by the Senate bill, at $2K, isn’t enough. Second, legalization is accompanied by nominal preconditions. To do what the Senate bill suggests, and legalize the undocumented six months later, amounts to amnesty rewarding criminal behavior. First, the 11 million “illegal aliens” must be expelled. They argue that the conservation of law and order requires the following. ![]() Let’s review the case against comprehensive immigration reform from the House GOP’s perspective. But something beyond ideology drives House Republicans’ resistance to comprehensive immigration reform. House Republicans argue that the Senate bill amounts to nothing more than a breach of the rule of law – a foundational conservative tenet. They stress securing the border and expelling the 11 to 12 million “illegal aliens” residing in the United States. With every reason to pass comprehensive immigration reform, why are House Republicans standing in its way? Many claim that the Senate bill amounts to amnesty, a measure they suggest leaves us no better off than we are now. Still, House Republicans refuse to support it - even though the Senate recently passed a bipartisan bill with which many conservatives are satisfied. Comprehensive immigration reform enjoys a level of popularity that should make it a win-win for all involved. Conservative public intellectuals such as David Brooks, Grover Norquist, and Karl Rove also support it, as well as more than 100 conservative economists, the Wall Street Journal and the CATO Institute. John McCain and Lindsay Graham support it. It’s been a year since the Senate passed a comprehensive immigration bill.
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