WASHINGTON • Democrats in Congress said they are ploughing ahead with President Joe Biden's proposal for legislation that revamps immigration policy, but widening Republican opposition could push the debate on a comprehensive measure into later this year or next.
Senator Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, said he will introduce legislation reflecting Mr Biden's proposal, which would offer a pathway to citizenship for roughly 11 million people living illegally in the United States.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Thursday that Democratic Representative Linda Sanchez of California will introduce Mr Biden's Bill in that chamber.
Mr Menendez said on Wednesday that his goal is to see legislation arrive at Mr Biden's desk sometime this year so it does not get caught up in mid-term election politics in 2022. He also said he is reaching out to senators in both parties who have helped craft bipartisan deals in the past and to others who might want to engage.
"If we want to achieve it, then it has to be done this year because when we get into an election year, the dynamics of that begin to change how much political capital people want to use," Mr Menendez told reporters.
The political landscape has changed since the last time Congress even got close to agreeing on a comprehensive immigration Bill. Some Republicans who previously showed a willingness to compromise are no longer in the Senate, and progressive Democrats have shifted their demands in response to the way immigration was used as a wedge issue by former president Donald Trump to fire up his supporters.
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, whose cooperation will be needed for most legislative action in a Senate split 50-50, blasted Mr Biden's proposal. Speaking on the Senate floor on Thursday, he called the plan "blanket amnesty that would gut enforcement for American laws while creating huge new incentives for people to rush here illegally at the same time".
Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott called Mr Biden's proposal "a radical immigration agenda of amnesty and open borders".
Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security announced that starting yesterday, it will have a 100-day pause on deportations for certain non-citizens in the US.
Mr Biden's legislative proposal, which would provide a route to citizenship for people living illegally in the US, would be an eight-year process, down from 13.
The Bill also would bolster assistance to Central American countries, ease immigration for people fleeing violence and would increase prosecution of human traffickers and drug smugglers.
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