New York Senator Chuck Schumer said he and his fellow Senators who support immigration reform believe 2013 will be the year Congress “finally gets it done.”
Speaking Monday, the Democratic Senator expressed hope that immigration reform legislation would be put on a fast track in 2013.
Schumer was speaking following the outline of a newly unveiled bipartisan immigration reform bill, which was led by Schumer and Senator John McCain of Arizona as well as key senators from both sides.
The reform plan may permit undocumented immigrants in the US to to achieve a legal residency after paying a fine and back taxes. The proposal also includes new border security and more stringent checks on immigrants with work visas.
Comprehensive reform may benefit the estimated 50,000 undocumented Irish currently residing in the U.S.
“The politics on this issue have been turned upside down,” Schumer said on Capitol Hill. “For the first time ever, there is more political risk in opposing immigration reform than in supporting it. We believe we have a window of opportunity to act, but we will only succeed if the effort is bipartisan.”
Read More: GOP and Democratic leaders agree on path to citizenship on immigration bill
Schumer praised Sen. John McCain saying his Republican colleague has been the glue holding the bipartisan group of senators together.
"His wisdom, his strength, his courage, his steadfastness and many other adjectives that I'll skip at the moment, have really been inspiring to me and, I think, to all of us," Schumer said.
On Tuesday morning, President Obama will unveil his plans for comprehensive immigration reform at Del Sol High School in Las Vegas.
Read more: Irish American lobby focused on immigration reform in Obama’s second term
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