It comes as little surprise that immigration reform has taken a backseat to the government shutdown that began on October 1. But while the White House and Congress have devoted the last 16 days to the fiscal cliff and debt ceiling, all signs indicate that immigration reform will be the next issue on the docket.
In an exclusive interview with Latinos Post at the onset of the government shutdown, Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D- Ill., discussed the “detrimental effect” the shutdown had on immigration reform talks. Gutierrez, who has made immigration reform one of his top priorities, also discussed what he expects will happen to the immigration reform debate in the future.
“I think that if we didn’t have the government shutdown, if we didn’t have this looming fiscal cliff because of the debt ceiling, I think there’d be more of an appetite to take [it] up,” Gutierrez told Latinos Post. “We’re not going to take up immigration reform while we’re dealing with the fiscal cliff. Absolutely, it’s taking a detrimental effect.”
“That doesn’t mean we can’t do it,” the congressman added. “It’s just we’re going to have to get this [the government shutdown] done first.”
Gutierrez, who spoke at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s Public Policy Conference earlier this month, has special interest in immigration reform through his participation in the House of Representative’s “Gang of Seven.” The “Gang of Seven,” which is the House’s bipartisan team currently working on overhauling the country’s immigration laws, saw the departure of two Republican members in late September, including Reps. John Carter, R-Texas, and Sam Johnson, R-Texas.
Despite their departures, Gutierrez assured that the group is committed to bringing about immigration reform. “The votes exist for comprehensive immigration reform,” he said. “The fact that Johnson and Carter have left does not change that.”
Gutierrez added, “Never before have we seen such broad based support for it. And because that broad based support for it exists, sooner or later we’re going to get a vote.”
According to a recent report by Buzzfeed, advocates for immigration reform contest that immigration reform could be the next issue the House tackles once the government shutdown comes to an end. Frank Sharry, the executive director of the immigration reform group America’s Voice, told Buzzfeed that “sinking poll numbers for Republican” and a “badly damaged” GOP image could be enough to address immigration reform.
It appears that the White House is also eager to have immigration reform as their top priority once the fiscal crisis is resolved, Reuters reported. During an interview with Univision, President Barack Obama said, “Once that’s down, you know, the day after, I’m going to be pushing to say, call a vote on immigration reform.”
On Tuesday, Obama blamed House Speaker John Boehner for preventing immigration reform from going to a vote, Reuters reported. “We had a very strong Democratic and Republican vote in the Senate,” he said. “The only thing right now that’s holding it back is, again, Speaker Boehner now willing to call the bill on the floor of the House of Representatives.”
Despite the House’s inability to call the bill to a vote, Gutierrez seemed confident that it would before the end of the year. “I can see the House of Representatives passing the bill,” he said. “I can see the House of Representatives passing the bill and going to conference by the end of the year.”
Whether immigration reform is addressed by the White House and Congress after the fiscal issues are resolved remains to be seen. But with an increasing Latino population, it is an issue that Washington cannot ignore.
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