Immigration Overhaul: What You Should Know about the Gang of Eight

For the time since 2013, there is a small glimmer of hope that Congress and the president will agree to comprehensive immigration reforms.

The “Gang of Eight” was a bi-partisan group of eight United States senators—four Democrats and four Republicans—who wrote the 2013 comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) bill (modeled after a failed bill in 2007, shown above).

Officially, their bill was called the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013 (commonly known as "the immigration bill").

The Senate passed the bill in June 2013 with broad support— 68–32 (14 Republicans joined all Democrats). The bill never even made it to a committee hearing in the House. 

Speaker John Boehner spiked the bill—in hindsight, emboldening the extreme Tea Party forces that ran him out of the House a short time later, and uncorked our angry politics over immigration.

Who comprised the Gang of Eight? Sen. Michael Bennet, D-CO; Sen. Dick Durbin, D-IL; Sen. Jeff Flake, R-AZ; Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC; Sen. John McCain, R-AZ; Sen. Robert Menendez, D-NJ; Sen. Marco Rubio, R-FL; and Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-NY. They are all in office today.

The main points of the compromise bill:

… A path to citizenship for unlawfully present aliens.

… Bolstered border security and visa tracking.

… Permanent residence for unlawful present aliens, only after legal [non-immigrant aliens] waiting for a current priority date receive their permanent residence status (e.g., the 220,000 Salvadorans on TPS status).

… A different citizenship path for agricultural workers through an agricultural worker program.

… Business immigration system reforms, focusing on reducing current visa backlogs and fast tracking permanent residence for U.S. university [student visa] immigrant graduates with advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering or math also known as the STEM fields.

… An expanded and improved employment verification system for all employers to confirm employee work authorization.

… Improved work visa options for low-skilled workers including an agricultural worker program.

At an extraordinary noon luncheon at the White House attended by leaders from both parties, Pres. Trump signaled a willingness to do a comprehensive reform bill. Whether he understands what this means or simply wants positive approval ratings is not important. If this bill gets done along the 2013 (and 2007) lines and is signed, it will help to keep America great. (The legislation would fundamentally alter the president's relationship with his base; hence, little reason to be hopeful for its passage.)