Following the unveiling of proposals to reform the immigration laws last month by President Obama and a group of bi-partisan Senators, the House Judiciary Committee held its first hearing on immigration policy Tuesday.
The hearing, entitled “America's Immigration System: Opportunities for Legal Immigration and Enforcement of Laws against Illegal Immigration,” was chaired by Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA). San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, who was the keynote speaker at last year’s Democratic National Committee convention in Charlotte, North Carolina was joined by former federal immigration officials, immigration law professors and union representatives.
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin said last Thursday that the bipartisan lawmakers are making progress on some of the "toughest immigration issues." Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Conference Chairman Charles Schumer joined him during the briefing and announced that they have set a goal of passing an immigration bill through the Senate by late spring or summer.
Speaking in Las Vegas last week, President Obama complimented the efforts of the bipartisan group. He also called on Congress to pass an immigration bill “that finally deals with the 11 million undocumented immigrants who are in this country right now.”