Much debate has continued in Washington regarding the immigration proposal designed to update the nation's immigration laws, and both advocates and opponents of the bill have drawn their lines in the sand over whether immigration reform constitutes "amnesty."
Since the immigration reform bill proposed by the bipartisan U.S. Senate panel known as the "Gang of Eight" was presented before the Senate Judiciary Committee last week, the arguments for and against the legislation have intensified.
Last week, conservatives from several action and faith-based groups issued a statement in support of the bill, Fox News Latino reported. The statement was issued thanks to efforts from Al Cardenas, chairman of the American Conservative Union.
"Conservatives are ready to support immigration reform, so long as it is pro-economic growth, strengthens families, fosters assimilation and prevents another wave of illegal immigration from happening again," the statement says.
However, opponents of the bill have begun to push back against the legislation, likening the bill to "amnesty."
"After legalization, they'll be eligible for virtually every job in the country," Ira Mehlman, a spokesman for the anti-legalization Federation for American Immigration Reform, told the L.A. Times. "People whose jobs are not threatened right now will find themselves in competition with these workers."
While more support from the GOP has come in recent months, Republicans are still largely split on the issue. In recent weeks, high-profile Republicans from both sides have spoken out on the issue, most loudly during the last few weeks as the Senate Judiciary Committee has reviewed the bill.
Another highly-touchy part of the debate now stems from gay rights groups calling for President Obama to support immigrants in same sex marriages.
As of late, LBGT groups have been calling loudly for inclusion in the bipartisan U.S. Senate panel's immigration bill. In the latest twist, they are calling for President Obama to support immigrants in same-sex marriages, as they face a tougher road to becoming U.S. citizens than heterosexual immigrants do.
However, the topic has been a divisive one, and it threatens to be a nonstarter amid GOP opposition in Congress.
"Of course it would be helpful," Ty Cobb, senior legislative counsel at Human Rights Campaign, told The Hill. Cobb also pointed out that equal treatment for same-sex couples was included in the president's principles for immigration reform which he revealed in January.
President Obama has come forward in recent months in support of same-sex marriage, but gay rights groups argue that he could be doing more to support the inclusion of same-sex couples within the proposed immigration legislation.
The problem, however, is that it could be a major issue of contention among Republicans, which have been opposed to adding in such language into the bill, especially in the GOP-controlled House of Representatives.
Even members of the "gang of eight" have warned in recent months that adding in provisions on same-sex marriage could derail the delicate efforts to get immigration reform passed.
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