CAMBRIDGE, Md. — House Republicans wrestled with the outlines of immigration legislation Thursday, divided over the contentious issue itself and the political wisdom of acting on it in an election year.
At a two-day retreat on the banks of the Choptank River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, GOP leaders circulated an outline that would guide the drafting of any House Republican legislation on the subject — a document that Speaker John Boehner told the rank and file was as far as the party was willing to go.
It includes a proposed pathway to legal status for millions of adults who live in the U.S. unlawfully — after they pay back taxes and fines — but no special route to citizenship for them.
Many younger people brought into the country illegally by their parents would be eligible for citizenship.
“For those who meet certain eligibility standards, and serve honorably in our military or attain a college degrees, we will do just that,” the statement said.
The principles also include steps to increase security at the nation’s borders and workplaces, declaring those a prerequisite for any of the other changes.
Conservatives reacted negatively in advance.
“Intense debate on immigration inside right now,” Rep. Steve King tweeted as the rank and file debated the issue behind closed doors. “3-4 to 1 don’t trust the president and demand he secure border first.”
Some Democrats reacted hopefully to the principles, even though the proposal for legal status falls short of the full citizenship that was included in a measure that cleared the Senate last year.
“We have gone from the Republicans saying ‘self-deportation’ and ‘veto the DREAM Act,’ to saying we need bipartisan solutions,” said Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., who advocates an overhaul of existing laws.
