On the Sunday shows, prominent members of the Senate’s Gang of Eight will face off against some of the staunchest opponents of “comprehensive immigration reform” just days before the Senate attempts to ram the bill through next week. In addition, five “Gang of Eight” members will appear on Al Punto, the Spanish-language Sunday show on Univision.
On CBS’s Face the Nation, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), the ranking Member of the Budget Committee and one of the most vocal opponents of the amnesty legislation, will debate Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN), who recently co-sponsored an amendment to the Gang of Eight bill that was written by Gang of Eight members in order to provide political cover for those who may vote for the final bill. Sessions has repeatedly emphasized that the Senate’s immigration bill will “accelerate the decline” of the American working class and not solve the illegal immigration problem. He declared on Breitbart News Sunday last weekend that the bill will put the country in a position where more amnesty will have to be given in the future.
On Fox News Sunday, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), a Gang of Eight member and one of the most vocal supporters of “comprehensive immigration reform” will be on the program with Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), who has been staunchly against the legislation. Lee joined Sens. Sessions, David Vitter (R-LA), and Jim Inhofe (R-OK) at a press conference with Tea Party leaders on Friday. There could be some potential fireworks if Graham and Lee are allowed to debate each other on the show.
On NBC’s Meet the Press, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), a Gang of Eight member, will discuss whether there can be a “breakthrough on immigration.” Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) will also be on the show to discuss the issue.
On CNN’s State of the Union, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) of the Gang of Eight will be on the program with Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) to discuss any “last minute compromises” to immigration reform legislation “as it reaches a final vote.” Paul had not been as staunch an opponent of the bill as Sens. Sessions, Ted Cruz (R-TX) (who started a national petition against the bill), and Lee, but he said last week the“fatal flaw” in the Senate’s bill was that it provided legalization before border security. Conservatives have accused Schumer of “playing” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL).
On ABC’s This Week, Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) will discuss immigration reform with Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA). Dan Senor, the former Mitt Romney adviser and establishment Republican who is advising Mark Zuckerberg’s group that is trying to get “comprehensive immigration reform” passed, will be on the foreign policy panel, but it is unclear whether there will be an opening for him to speak about “immigration reform.”
On Al Punto on Univision, five members of the Gang of Eight will appear. Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Jeff Flake (R-AZ), and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) will be on the Spanish-language Sunday show to speak to Hispanic viewers about the Senate’s “immigration reform” bill.
Americans will probably not get the type of debate that conservative talk radio host Mark Levin called for on immigration, but the Sunday shows this weekend should provide plenty of different viewpoints on the Senate’s immigration bill.