Today the United States Senate voted to proceed to debate on the pending immigration reform legislation. The Senators voted 82-15 to move forward on the bill, well in excess of the 60 votes that were required to continue. All 15 votes against the motion were from Republicans.
However, the overwhelming vote in favor of beginning debate does not guarantee passage of the bill as many who voted to proceed have expressed displeasure with the current legislation. Most notably, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has stated that the bill has “serious flaws” and that “there will need to be major changes…if it’s going to become law.”
Many of the Republican Senators in opposition of the bill seems to have tied their support to the passage of an amendment offered by Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) which would require stringent security benchmarks to be met before newly legalized immigrants can become permanent residents. Democrats, however, view the Cornyn amendment as a “poison pill” which would be in opposition to the purpose of the legislation.
The vote to proceed sets the stage for what is expected to be several weeks of intense debate over the bill. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has said that he would like a vote on the bill by the end of June.
Murray Osorio PLLC are Fairfax Immigration Attorneys dedicated to their clients and to their clients’ families. If you have an immigration matter, it’s important that you contact us as soon as possible. An experienced Fairfax Immigration Lawyer could make all the difference- call us at (800) 929-7142, or fill out our contact form.