The US federal government only just began to resume normal operations on October 17, and on that same day, President Obama immediately called on Congress to turn its attention to issues such as immigration reform. Regarding the issue of immigration reform, there remains disagreement within the Republican Party, which has generally maintained a cautious stance.
“We should finish the job of fixing our broken immigration system,” Obama said on the 17th. “This should be done this year, not delayed until next year, or two or three years from now.”
In June of this year, the Senate, dominated by the Democratic coalition, historically passed a comprehensive immigration reform bill. US immigration reform thus took a major step forward. However, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives has yet to implement what Republicans call an “amnesty” for the millions of foreigners living illegally in the United States.
It is reported that there is a faction within the Republican Party that supports immigration reform. They believe that a large number of Hispanic immigrants could contribute significant votes to the Republican Party in general elections, whereas currently, the majority of Hispanic votes go to the Democratic Party. After his defeat, former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney stated: “We must support immigration reform, otherwise the appeal of the Republican Party will continue to weaken.”