Speaking out on immigration reform during a TV interview on Sunday, George W. Bush refused to take a hard stance because, as Dubya noted, "I'm out of politics," but the former president did acknowledge that it seems progress is being made and that a bill "has a chance to pass."
On Sunday, Bush spoke to Jon Karl on ABC News' "This Week" about politics, policy and the potential opportunity to achieve comprehensive immigration reform, an issue Bush himself failed to progress during his time in office.
"I think it's very important to fix a broken system, to treat people with respect," Bush said. "And have confidence in our capacity to assimilate people."
As the saying goes, history tends to repeat itself, and while Bush tried hard during his presidency to pass comprehensive immigration reform, he failed, due in part to opposition from his own Republican base, CBS News DC reports.
"It's a very difficult bill to pass because there is a lot of moving parts," Bush said. "Sometimes it takes time for these complex issues to evolve."
Last month, the Senate successfully passed an immigration reform bill drafted by the "Gang of Eight," which, in part, would allow 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. to achieve a path to citizenship. The Senate legislation has been met thus far with opposition from the House, which will soon begin its own debate on immigration reform.
"The legislative process is - can be ugly but it looks like they're making some progress," Bush said. "And it looks like immigration, you know, has a chance to pass."
Bloomberg reports that members of the largely Republican House of Representatives are slated to meet this week on July 10 to discuss the issue. Many of the House players vehemently oppose the bill in its current form—in particular the offer of a path to citizenship. But the argument has been made time and time again that if the House fails to pass the bill it could be political suicide for the GOP's future success. The importance of capturing Latino voters grows more significant every day for the party, and same could easily be argued for immigration reform supporters.
Bush dismissed the political need for the GOP to pass reform, noting instead that it was simply the right thing to do. "Well, the reason to pass immigration reform is not to bolster a Republican party, it's to fix a system that's broken," he said. "Good policy yields good politics, as far as I'm concerned."
On the same day that House Republicans are to meet to discuss immigration reform, Bush is scheduled to address a citizenship ceremony as well as a forum on immigration at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas. There, he is expected to renew his call for immigration reform and elaborate his opinions on issue in greater detail, according to U.S. News & World Report.
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