House Judiciary Committee chairman Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security chairman Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) will hold a hearing on Wednesday examining the Senate “Gang of Eight” immigration bill and the likelihood it will cause similar problems as the 1986 amnesty deal but on a larger scale.
The hearing, which will encompass the entire House Judiciary Committee, will start at 2 PM on Wednesday; it will be the first time the House has officially thoroughly examined the Senate’s work. In statements about the hearing, both Goodlatte and Gowdy indicated they are not impressed with the Gang of Eight bill from the Senate.
“While I am pleased that the Senate is working on immigration reform, there are many issues I am concerned about in the Senate’s ‘Gang of Eight’ immigration bill,” Goodlatte said. “Tomorrow we will look at the Senate bill, which is just one of many options, with an eye toward ensuring we don’t repeat the same mistakes of the past. In any immigration reform proposal, we must make sure that the President can’t unilaterally ‘turn-off’ the federal enforcement of our immigration laws.”
Gowdy added: “While the Senate’s proposal provided an opening bid to start the debate, the real issue is how to avoid the mistakes made in 1986 and exacerbated by an Administration that repeatedly shows hostility to the rule of law.” He warned, “A solution to our dysfunctional immigration system must engender public trust and confidence and must provide a remedy that ensures the mistakes of 1986 cannot and will not be repeated.”
Goodlatte went on to note that the House plans to move forward with a real immigration reform package that will happen on a step-by-step basis, aimed at actually solving America’s immigration system issues.
“While the Senate works its will, the House also continues to seek solutions to fix our broken immigration laws,” Goodlatte said. “The House Judiciary Committee has held numerous hearings on immigration and is in the process of introducing several pieces of legislation that address various issues within our immigration system.”
“It is important that we thoroughly examine each aspect of our immigration laws to ensure that the end result of this process is a real, workable solution,” Goodlatte explained.
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