GOP’s Raul Labrador quietly emerging as middleman for immigration reform

[American_Jihad]

Darin Oswald/AP - Rep. Raul R. Labrador (R-Idaho) speaks at a Jan. 31 town hall meeting in Meridian, Idaho. “Because I’ve proven myself to be a conservative, people are willing to listen to what I have to say on this issue,” he says.


GOP’s Raul Labrador quietly emerging as middleman for immigration reform​

By Rosalind S. Helderman
Feb 05, 2013

BOISE, IDAHO — Rep. Raul R. Labrador is the only Puerto Rican, Mormon, tea party immigration lawyer in Congress, which the Idaho Republican figures makes him the perfect bridge between hard-line GOP resistance to an immigration overhaul and the urgent sense among Democrats that the November election won them a free hand on the issue.

Labrador spent his first two years on Capitol Hill earning and burnishing a reputation as not just a “no” but a “hell no” vote on nearly every spending and fiscal bill that came across his desk.

But on immigration, he is seeking a different role.

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GOP?s Raul Labrador quietly emerging as middleman for immigration reform - The Washington Post

 

[waltky]

Senate takes up immigration reform...

US Senate Focuses on Immigration Reform
February 13, 2013 - The Senate Judiciary Committee is hearing testimony about immigration reform, hours after President Barack Obama called for immigration reform in his State of the Union address to Congress.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told senatorsmany changes need to be made and sustained for comprehensive reform. She said our immigration system is "broken" and "hurting our country." "Our immigration system is not working," she said. "Our communities, workers and employers are all frustrated by a system that treats a drug smuggler the same as a high-achieving student."

Napolitano's testimony was interrupted by screaming protesters who entered the chamber with signs that said "No more deportation." Police quickly restored order in the room. Others testifying include Jose Antonio Vargas, the founder of Define American, and Chris Crane, the president of the National Immigration and Customs Enforcement Council. Latino activists have criticized Obama for failing to make immigration reform a priority of his first term.

Last month, a bipartisan group of senators introduced a plan under which illegal immigrants would register with the government, pass a background check, pay fines and back taxes, and complete other steps to earn a probationary status to legally live and work in the United States. They would then be placed at the back of the line for those seeking a so-called green card as a permanent legal resident.

The plan includes exceptions for those who entered the country as children, as well as for agricultural workers who play a role in maintaining the nation's food supply.

US Senate Focuses on Immigration Reform