Durbin: Senate immigration plan will be comprehensive, include citizenship path

Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin (D) on Sunday revealed key details about a bipartisan immigration-reform plan, saying the legislation would be comprehensive and would include a pathway to citizenship.

Durbin said the group of six senators was working on a comprehensive approach to the issue, as opposed to moving individual elements piecemeal and was optimistic they were close to their goal.

“Sitting in these meetings with three Democrats and three Republicans, working on this immigration issue has been as encouraging as the rules vote on Thursday night,” Durbin said on “Fox News Sunday”, referencing a bipartisan agreement in the Senate last week to tweak the filibuster rules.

“We are trying to work our way through some very difficult issues but we are committed to working on a comprehensive approach to finally in this country have an immigration law we can live with,” he added.

Durbin's group is expected to outline their proposals later this week.

His comments are the latest encouraging news for advocates of immigration reform.

Last week, Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) voiced confidence in the prospects for immigration reform in the House, saying that a bipartisan group of lawmakers “basically [has] an agreement” after more than three years of secret talks.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who is working in the group on immigration reform, has also been quietly building conservative support on the issue.

Rubio in the past supported a piecemeal approach, however. And while Rubio has openly discussed a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants, he has included strict caveats.

Rubio would grant temporary legal status to those who passed background checks, underwent fingerprinting, demonstrated English skills, and could prove having an extended residence in the country. These newly legalized immigrants could apply for permanent residency leading to citizenship but would not receive any expedited consideration. They would have to apply through the same channels as aspiring immigrants outside the nation’s borders.

Rubio’s purported plan received an important endorsement from Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) last week.

President Obama is also preparing to launch a major push for comprehensive immigration reform with a speech in Las Vegas next week, where he is expected to outline his proposals.

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McCain to GOP: Accept path to citizenship in immigration-reform bill

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said that the Republican Party has to accept a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants as part of an immigration-reform package.

McCain said on ABC’s “This Week” Sunday that a group of bipartisan senators would be announcing “principles” on immigration reform this week, which he said was similar to a plan unveiled during President George W. Bush’s second term that ultimately failed.

McCain said there’s one big reason that his party has to loosen its opposition to providing a path to citizenship.

“Look at the last election,” he said. “We are losing dramatically the Hispanic vote, which we think should be ours for a variety of reasons, and we’ve got to understand that.”

President Obama is making his own immigration push this week with a speech in Las Vegas. McCain, one of the president’s harshest critics in Congress, said he thinks Obama’s proposals will be “helpful” to the effort in the Senate.

He said there’s a “new appreciation on both sides of the aisle — including maybe importantly on the other side of the aisle” to pass immigration reform.

While McCain’s stance on immigration reform was at odds with much of his party during Bush’s second-term, there are signs that things have changed after the 2012 election.

Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said in a speech this week that he was confident a bipartisan immigration bill would pass in this Congress.

McCain said Sunday that something had to be done with the 11 million illegal immigrants “living in the shadows” in the United States.

“I think the time is right,” McCain said.

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