House Judiciary Committee to Hold Hearing on Senate Immigration Bill
Washington, D.C. - Tomorrow at 2:00 p.m., the House Judiciary Committee will hold a full committee hearing on the Senate “Gang of Eight” immigration bill, entitled “S. 744 and the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986: Lessons Learned or Mistakes Repeated?” In the 1986 immigration overhaul, the American people were promised tougher enforcement of our immigration laws in exchange for the legalization of roughly three million people. However, those promises were never kept and today we are left with a broken immigration system. Tomorrow’s hearing provides members of the House Judiciary Committee the opportunity to examine the Senate’s nearly 900-page immigration legislation in order to make sure it does not repeat similar mistakes made in the 1986 law.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Immigration and Border Security Subcommittee Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) released the following statements in advance of tomorrow’s hearing.
Chairman Goodlatte: “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. 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.
“While the Senate works its will, the House also continues to seek solutions to fix our broken immigration laws. 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.”
Subcommittee Chairman Gowdy: “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. 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.”
Witnesses for tomorrow’s hearing include:
Ms. Julie Myers Wood, President, Compliance, Federal Practice and Software Solutions, Guidepost Solutions LLC;
Mr. Arnoldo S. Torres, Public Policy Consultant;
Mr. Chris Crane, President, National Immigration and Customs Enforcement Council 118, American Federation of Government Employees; and
Mr. David V. Aguilar, Partner, Global Security & Intelligence Strategies.
The hearing will take place in 2141 Rayburn. All House Judiciary Committee hearings are webcast live at www.judiciary.house.gov. For more information about this hearing, visit /_files/hearings/113th/hear_05222013_2.html