'Gang of Eight' expected to introduce immigration bill this week
The so-called "Gang of Eight," a bipartisan group of Senate leaders, is expected to unveil a new immigration bill this week.
The bill is said to offer a path to citizenship for the 11 million immigrants living illegally in the United States, and a work visa program that will allow between 20,000 and 200,000 immigrants into the country every year to work in low-wage positions.
President Barack Obama has been pushing strongly for immigration reform.
The more conservative House is seen as less likely to pass an immigration reform bill, but as NPR reports, "it's significant that the Republican-controlled House also has a bipartisan group of lawmakers meeting without much publicity to seek common ground on immigration."
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LEARN MORE ABOUT IMMIGRATION POLICY:
• Can Marco Rubio really walk away from immigration reform? "This is a tricky game Rubio is playing. He's trying to assure conservatives that he's skeptical of this process and could walk away at any moment. But it would be disastrous for him to actually walk away at any moment." (The Washington Post)
• Immigration reform: where things stand now. A primer from the Christian Science Monitor.
• Getting there. "Shepherding an immigration bill through Congress may be a daunting task, but snuffing one out is beginning to look more daunting still." (The Economist)
• A Portrait of U.S. Immigrants. Pew Research Center's analysis of the United States' immigrant population.
