No. of Recommendations: 3
Sadly, there's probably just no "dealspace" on immigration right now. This might be correct, although there have been bipartisan Congressional actions recently. Deals are being made. But the last time Congress passed immigration reform was in 1996. So don't hold your breath.
As an aside, Mel Martinez was a 1-term Senator who changed to a probably better job. Some people do not enjoy the DC environment, and so only serve one term. In 2004, "amnesty" was a hot button issue for some. Martinez flip flopped on "amnesty" and so lost support.
Most of the "Gang of Eight" that wrote S. 744 in 2013 are still serving Senators. Flake did not seek a second term. McCain won in 2016. The other six are still serving. This shows that writing a bipartisan immigration bill was not necessarily toxic in 2013. It might be toxic today.
On October 24, 2017, Jeff Flake (R-AZ) announced in a speech that he would not seek a second term in the Senate.
John McCain served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018, and won the 2016 United States Senate election in Arizona.
Senator Michael Bennet is the senior United States senator from Colorado, a seat he has held since 2009.
Senator Richard Durbin is the senior United States senator from Illinois, a seat he has held since 1997.
Senator Lindsey Graham is the senior United States senator from South Carolina, a seat he has held since 2003.
Senator Robert Menendez is the senior United States senator from New Jersey, a seat he has held since 2006.
Senator Marco Rubio is the senior United States senator from Florida, a seat he has held since 2011.
Senator Charles Schumer is the senior United States senator from New York, a seat he has held since 1999.
=== links ===
Mel Martinez
"served as a United States Senator from Florida from 2005 to 2009... On December 2, 2008, Martinez announced he would not be running for re-election to the Senate in 2010. On August 7, 2009, CNN and the Orlando Sentinel reported that Martinez would be resigning from his Senate seat. Later that month, Governor Charlie Crist announced that he would appoint George LeMieux as the successor to Martinez for the remaining year and a half of the Senate term. Two weeks after Martinez resigned his Senate seat, The Hill reported that he would become a lobbyist and partner at international firm DLA Piper... In a 2006 after election platform reversal, he helped craft the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006 that would be referred to by much of his own party as "amnesty"."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mel_Mart%C3%ADnez"The last time Congress passed immigration reform was in 1996, and that was driven by Republicans and signed into law by President Bill Clinton. That bill eliminated several legal immigration pathways, essentially making fewer people eligible for legal status while making more people deportable. Currently, multiple federal agencies are working to manage the border using the tools they have. But Congress needs to update our immigration laws, pure and simple. And it's not like Congress hasn't had the opportunity; over the last 10 years, 7 major pushes for immigration reform have failed:
-> In 2013, the Senate on a bipartisan basis passed the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013, but House Republicans refused to take up the bill.
-> In 2018, a bipartisan group of Senators advanced the Uniting and Securing America Act to protect Dreamers and provide pathway to citizenship, but Senate Republicans blocked it.
-> Again in 2018, the Senate tried to advance the United and Securing America Act 'Common Sense' Proposal Amendment, but Senate Republicans blocked it.
-> Yet again in 2018, the Uniting and Securing America Act made it to the Senate floor but was blocked.
-> In 2019, the House passed the American Dream and Promise Act, but Senate Republicans blocked it.
-> In 2021, the House again passed the American Dream and Promise Act, but Senate Republicans again blocked it.
-> In 2021 and 2022, the President proposed record funding for more border agents, more asylum officers, more immigration judges, more border technology, and more detention capacity. Republicans in Congress failed to fund these both requests. "
https://escobar.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx...
