The White House has announced for the second time that the highly anticipated meeting to launch the Congressional effort for comprehensive immigration reform has been postponed. No future date was announced, just an assurance by an unnamed White house official that the meeting will happen soon.
Frank Sharry, founder and President of America’s Voice, says “While we are disappointed that the meeting has been delayed, we are confident that immigration reform will move forward this fall. The President has promised to advance the issue many times, and we believe he is a man of his word.”
House Immigration Reform Caucus Chairman Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-Calif.) accused the White House on Saturday of playing politics with immigration reform because the meeting excluded key GOP members.
Bilbray, who is known to be an anti-illegal immigration advocate, has questioned the administration’s motives in setting up bipartisan meeting without some members saying, “If you’re going to have a meeting you have to include the ranking members of the committees of jurisdiction.”
House Judiciary Committee ranking member Lamar Smith (R-Texas) and Immigration subcommittee ranking member Steve King (R-Iowa) had not been formally invited according to their staff. Yet, White House aides informed The Hill that the meeting was rescheduled due to scheduling conflicts and that invites had not gone out.
The Democratic members who had planned on attending the meeting included Sen. Charles Schumer (N.Y.), Rep. Xavier Becerra (Calif.) and House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (Mich.).
It is also unclear, however, if Obama would invite his former 2008 GOP presidential rival, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). McCain is a longtime supporter of guest worker programs and granting amnesty to illegal immigrants.
As previously reported in La Plaza, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) pledged to make comprehensive immigration reform happen before the end of the 111th Congress.
Reid said, “As far as I’m concerned, we have three major issues we have to do this year, if at all possible: No. 1 is healthcare; No 2 is energy, global warming; No. 3 is immigration reform.”
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