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Steps to Reforming Immigration

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    Rep. Bob Goodlatte, (R-Va.), on efforts to reform America’s immigration system.

  • Duration 5:02
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Isolation but so far goes on both sides of the -- disappointed.

And how the president has failed to address immigration reform in his first term so -- president Obama's second be any different joining me now congressman -- Bob good -- chairman of the House Judiciary Committee which oversees immigration reform.

OK congressman we have.

Alyssa things that apparently the president wants to push for one requiring businesses to verify new employees in the country legally.

To create a guest worker program for low wage immigrants and three -- immigrants seeking legal status pay fines and back taxes.

Can you support any of that.

-- all of that is well worth looking at very carefully.

And that's exactly what we'll do Republicans in the house are very.

Enthused about to doing immigration reform this year as well.

And how much we can do will depend upon how much.

We can find in common with the our friends over in the senate and with the White House and our colleagues here -- house.

Congress what I asked you was can you support those three.

Specific ideas.

Those three specific ideas are all things that if they're done correctly.

We could find a way to support some of them obviously the one that is the most difficult is.

Someone who's illegally in the United States today.

We've got to find some way to do this and -- if we're talking about.

Bringing them out of the shadows and having a legal status I think there's a lot to discuss there for talking about.

A pathway to citizenship I think the American people.

Are going to want to know a lot more about how we're gonna prevent this type of illegal immigration in the future.

Well I think that said -- great point I think the crux of the problem for so many of us.

What a warning if you are or you know someone who is one of these people who came to this country came in the front door.

Did the right way took this time went to the expense in the effort.

Of getting citizenship.

And now you know.

You know other eleven million illegal immigrants in this country is who could -- go right around the whole system.

And get citizenship.

Possibly in -- snap can you support that.

Well now and -- quite frankly we're a nation of immigrants there isn't anybody around who can't go back a few generations are several generations.

And find someone in their family who came the United States to better their lives.

For themselves and their family.

But we're also a nation of laws and when we did immigration reform in 1986.

We didn't do it completely we didn't do it correctly.

And this time we're going to take the time to get it right first -- -- by starting out and educating members of congress about this very complex issue.

There are lots of moving parts with the immigration.

-- we don't want is to have.

Next week or next month the 2000 page bill that attempts to address all of this -- members of congress.

Who don't know the issue so we're gonna begin the process next week.

Of educating members of the house about how this issue works both for legal immigration and illegal immigration.

And then we'll send them home they can talk to their constituents about it and then we want to bring them back and listen to them listen to them up.

You're very you're very -- -- on this topic tell me what would be the key ingredients.

Of immigration reform from your point of -- Well I think the two things that we talked thank -- if you're talking about.

Doing individual pieces of immigration there -- lots of different things you can do.

The stem Visa bill that we just passed at the end of the last congress will certainly be adjusted -- addressing that again agricultural immigration reform.

-- verify which is one of the things that was on the president's list that have employers able to easily verify whether or not somebody is lawfully.

Allowed to take the job that they're considering offering them.

Border security and enforcement of the immigration laws inside the United States the -- tough ones in my opinion are.

What do you do with the 1011 million people who are in the United States today.

Obviously we're not gonna.

Have a trail of tears headed back to the border of millions of people leaving.

But I also do not think the American people have any stomach for saying okay you're here now will put you on a path to citizenship.

That's what was done in 1986.

And all it did was lead to.

Ever accelerating.

Illegal immigration into the United States and not just across the border.

While 40% of the people were illegally in the country entered legally on student visas visitors visas good -- -- I'm in Canada and over yeah that's right they -- -- -- I ask you this question before -- the way this is being handled well I don't want other the way others so.

Go ahead the other yeah.

Point congressman yet the other point.

The was what -- do you do assure the American people that if we go ahead we -- a significant immigration reform bill.

What assurance they have that things will be different in that future presidents.

Will enforce the law.

Like recent presidents of both parties have not RI congressman thanks for coming on the show tonight appreciate your time thank you -- Thank you.

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