Divided Views on the Importance of a Path to Citizenship

The New York Times recently reported in an article that for some immigrants, the passage of a law that provides a path to citizenship is not as important to them as the enactment of law that would enable them to work with authorization in the U.S. and allow them to leave the country to visit their families and have the ability to return to the U.S. 

“For many undocumented people, citizenship is not a priority,” said Oscar A. Chacon, executive director of the National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Communities, a network of immigrant organizations that includes many foreigners here without papers. “What they really care about is a solution that allows them to overcome their greatest vulnerabilities.”

The current Senate proposal (S.744) provides a path to citizenship, albeit a long one (up to 13 years). Many Republicans oppose such a path because they believe, as the article reported, that it provides a reward to “immigrants who broke the law.”  Yet, some are open to negotiating a bill if it does not have have a “direct route to citizenship.”

However, as the NY Times article pointed out, “President Obama and other supporters . . .  insist that any alternative would create a disenfranchised underclass.”

RCV