Bob Goodlatte, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, has given a new interview to Telemundo in which he hints that the principles set to be released by the Republican Party on immigration reform might include a plan for offering legal status to undocumented immigrants in the United States.
“If we can have a way to get (immigration enforcement) up and operating, I see no reason why we can’t also have an agreement that shows how people who are not lawfully here can be able to be lawfully here,” Goodlatte revealed in the interview, adding that undocumented immigrants might, under such a system, be allowed to live and work in the United States and be able to travel to and from their country of origin, as well as pay taxes and own their own business.
Any plan that the Republicans come up with is certain to be considerably less inclusive than what is being called for by immigration advocates and the Democrats, which is a system that enables undocumented immigrants to gain legal status and eventually become US citizens, but considering the state of the system at present, any change that puts an end to deportations would most likely be welcomed with open arms by many.
“We have to have something where a sizeable majority of Republicans can support it,” Goodlatte notes, “so finding a way to build that consensus is critical.” Goodlatte agrees with House Speaker John Boehner that no bill will be presented to the House of Representatives without majority support from House Republicans.