Senate Passes Immigration Bill, Sends to House
June 27, 2013 | Tags: H-1B
After much heated debate, the U.S. Senate today passed a comprehensive immigration reform bill by a vote of 68-32, including 14 Republicans in favor. Next, the Republican-dominated House of Representatives will review the bill, although it also has its own immigration bill in the works.
As we reported earlier, the Senate Gang of Eight's immigration bill would be the most drastic overhaul to the nation's immigration system in nearly 30 years. This bill would provide a path to citizenship for more than 11 million undocumented residents, raise the H-1B cap significantly, and create an entrepreneur visa to help attract new businesses to the U.S. It remains to be seen which provisions would end up being included in comprehensive immigration reform legislation, and we hope the House will be reasonable in its review of the Senate bill.
"Today's vote is a game-changer," said Benjamin Johnson, Executive Director of the American Immigration Council. "The debate around immigration reform is forever changed, the notion that the Senate cannot act on immigration is a thing of the past, and now we know that it is possible to find bi-partisan agreement one an issue once deemed toxic."
