113th Congress: House Immigration Reform

When the Senate successfully passed S.744 on 6/27/13, all eyes turned to the House of Representatives. Unlike the Senate, in the House, the majority party (then the Republicans) hold almost complete control over the agenda, determining what bills get votes and when. In June 2013, House Republicans voted a number of piecemeal bills out of the Judiciary Committee, all of which AILA opposed (see below for more details). Prior to that, the Homeland Security Committee managed to unanimously pass a bipartisan border security bill out of committee. On 10/2/13, Democrats announced they were introducing H.R. 15, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, a comprehensive immigration reform bill that would encompass the successful Senate bill without the border-surge package and including the House border security bill. (AILA Doc. No. 13100402.)

All that being said, movement in the House of Representatives was slow. Speaker Boehner gave little indication of what his next steps will be to pass reform in the House, and with budgetary battles looming large, immigration reform seems to have moved to the bottom of the agenda. However, advocates point to the increasing number of Republican House members in support of reform (with a road to legalization and citizenship) and the growing cries of the American public, as proof evident that reform is very much alive in the 113th Congress.

Resources on Piecemeal Legislation that Passed Out of Committee in the House

H.R. 1773: Agricultural Guestworker Act (AILA Doc. No. 13042953)

H.R. 2278: Strengthen and Fortify Enforcement (SAFE) Act (AILA Doc. No. 13060654)

H.R. 1772: Legal Workforce Act (mandatory E-Verify) (AILA Doc. No. 13071149)

H.R. 2131: Supplying Knowledge Based Immigrants and Lifting Levels of STEM Visas (SKILLS) Act (AILA Doc. No. 13071145)

H.R. 1417: Border Security Results Act (AILA Doc. No. 13060647)

H.R. 15: Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act (AILA Doc. No. 13100402)

Issue Papers and Talking Points

AILA's Take on House Immigration Reform lays out AILA's priorities and policy positions for reform in the House of Representatives. Ideal to use as a leave behind document for Congressional visits or as a talking point document for public speaking opportunities. (AILA Doc. No. 13072350)

Other House of Representatives Action

House Judiciary Hearing on DREAMers (AILA Doc. No. 13071745)

House Judiciary Committee Hearing on S.744 and IRCA (AILA Doc. No. 13052250)