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Republican House Speaker: Immigration Reform To Get Done This Year Or Maybe Not

Jun 18, 2014

Miami, FL (Law Firm Newswire) June 18, 2014 – Immigration reform has long been a sticking point between Republican members and their House Speaker, John Boehner. This situation seems to have gotten worse.

“It seems that Boehner has two points of view on immigration reform. The first comes to the fore when assuring party members in opposition to comprehensive immigration that zero will be done about the issue until the President and his men can be relied upon to enforce the laws. Republicans figure that really means that will never happen. Boehner’s party members accuse him of double-speak,” adds Larry Rikfin, a Miami immigration lawyer and managing partner at Rifkin & Fox-Isicoff, with law offices in Miami, Florida and Orlando, Florida.

This accusation was since backed up by a Wall Street Journal item that covered Boehner speaking to party donors and saying he was bound and determined to pass immigration reform this year. Party faithful have concluded he says one thing to uncertain and wavering party members and another when he is speaking to people with money to fund his campaign.

The Wall Street report triggered the short fuse of outraged confusion, prompting the Speaker to sort of repeat his first message, that immigration reform, one-step-at-a-time, makes the most sense, but nothing is going to happen until Obama shows he can commit to following the rule of law.

On the Hill Republicans hear that once the primaries are over, party leaders will deal with immigration reform. Given the ambiguity of Boehner’s remarks, his party thinks he intends to do something worrisome, such as join with House Democrats to move several separate bills along – bills that form the bulk of the comprehensive reform bill proposed by the Senate Gang of Eight.

No matter what the Speaker decides to do, either with or against his party, immigration reform is still up in the air and does not look like it will be passed in 2014. “Is it ever going to be passed? Given the prevailing uncertainty of virtually everything related to immigration reform, one has to wonder,” says Rifkin. “If the Republicans cannot trust their own Speaker to tell it like it really is, the future looks rather dismal.”

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