Immigration reform has been making strides in the U.S. Senate, with both Democrats and Republicans agreeing on border security measures and a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
However, it is not moving as smoothly through the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives.
Rep. Mario Diaz Balart is part of a bipartisan working group trying to get a comprehensive immigration reform bill finalized in the House. They are trailing the Senate, which has already moved onto formal consideration of its bill, while the House has yet to agree on a plan.
Diaz Balart, a Republican who represents parts of Collier and Miami Dade Counties, said the group has reached a deal a few times already, but things have fallen apart.
However, he said he’s optimistic they will finalize something soon.
“There is no doubt in my mind that the folks in the group want to get a deal,” he said. “When I say a deal, want to be able to file a bipartisan bill.”
In the absence of one bill that tackles various aspects of immigration reform, committees in the House are considering tougher stand-alone immigration bills. This includes a bill that makes it a federal crime to be undocumented.
“The reality is that those bills have no shot of ever becoming law,” Diaz Balart said. “So, I think there are going to be multiple bills filed and I think marked up in committees and potentially getting to the floor, but they have no shot of becoming law.”
Diaz Balart said he’s impressed with the work the Senate has been doing, so far.
That includes a deal reached between Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, and a coalition of other Republicans over border security for the Senate’s comprehensive immigration bill.
The amendment would double the size of border security and require 700 miles of border fencing, without holding up other parts of immigration reform.
This makes it more likely that the bill will pass with bipartisan support in the Democratic-led Senate.
Diaz Balart said the deal is encouraging.
“That is a very, very serious effort on obviously securing the border,” he said.
