RollCall says about two dozen House Republicans are on record in support of the principles for immigration reform unveiled by their leaders a month ago and three dozen are against it. A large majority, more than 120, have not replied to questions about their position, says the “218” column.
Some 636 business organizations, including 154 involved in agriculture, sent a letter to House GOP leaders in support of immigration reform this year. The letter, released on Tuesday, the same day as the RollCall update, said the business groups “are encouraged by the House Republican Conference’s review of “Standards for Immigration Reform.” We support Congress and the administration moving forward on immigration reform using these standards as the guideposts for action this year.” A copy of the letter can reached through an American Farm Bureau Federation news release.
The House GOP outline would give legal status to undocumented workers but not create a special path to citizenship. That is a major difference from the Senate-passed bill, which has provisions specifically dealing with ag workers. Here is a copy of the GOP outline, from the New York Times.