Washington, AgencySen. Bob Menendez has introduced a comprehensive immigration-reform bill just over a month before mid-term elections, a surprise move that has raised expectations among pro-immigrant groups across the United States.
The New Jersey Democrat and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy filed the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2010 as Congress prepared to adjourn until after the Nov. 2 balloting.
During a joint appearance Thursday at the National Press Club with Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) to discuss the parties' electoral prospects, Menendez said the introduction of the measure at this juncture will make it possible to make progress on the bill after Congress is back in session.
A draft proposal presented a few months ago failed to yield results, but Menendez said the situation has changed now that a real bill is before the Senate.
Menendez said the Republican approach to undocumented immigrants is exclusively punitive, while Democrats are advocating a path that includes strengthening the borders and providing a path to legalization for many of the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants.
A summary posted on the progressive Web site NDN says Menendez's measure includes "ample funding" for border security and makes it clear that the federal government alone has the authority to enforce immigration laws.
The bill promotes family reunification and encompasses the AgJobs program to legalize undocumented farm workers and the DREAM Act to legalize undocumented students.
Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.), who in December introduced his own immigration-reform bill in the House of Representatives, said Menendez's measure could help end a long stalemate in Congress.
"We need to get undocumented immigrants into the system because we do not have the capacity or the will to drive more than 10 million men, women, and children from our country and it is economic suicide and a moral crisis to continue trying to do so," Gutierrez said in a statement.
Meanwhile, pro-reform groups, including the National Council of La Raza, America's Voice and the Center for American Progress lauded the Menendez-Leahy bill.
The Reform Immigration for America Campaign said "voters, and especially Latino voters, are paying attention to how politicians engage on this issue" ahead of the Nov. 2 elections.
That group reiterated its accusation that Republicans are obstructing the process because they demand a comprehensive solution to the problem of illegal immigration "while simultaneously refusing to allow federal legislation to move forward."
The recently issued "Pledge to America," a list of legislative items the Republican Party says it will pursue if it regains a majority in the House of Representatives, omitted any mention of immigration reform.
Gutierrez's measure has stalled in the House and it remains unclear when the Senate might debate Menendez's bill.
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