Senator tells House to go first on immigration reform

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Senate has no plans to write immigration legislation during the 114th Congress, according to the chairman of the committee in which it would originate.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the new chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, made the comments while laying out the panel’s agenda during a press conference Monday at the National Press Club.

“I want to use my time and the committee’s time to do something,” said Grassley, who has served on the Judiciary Committee since 1981. “We worked for three months on that two years ago, and then the House didn’t do anything.”

In May 2013, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved an immigration bill that would have, among other things, strengthened border security and interior enforcement, revamped the visa system, and provided a 13-year pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants who pay a fine, learn English, and pass a background check. Grassley was one of five Republicans who voted against the bill in committee. A month later, the full Senate passed the legislation, but it died in the House.

“I want to know that the House is going to act,” Grassley said. “If the House gets it done before Labor Day, I think it may happen, but there’s some idea the House may not do anything. … You can understand why I wouldn’t waste time.”

Grassley, the first non-lawyer to chair the Judiciary Committee, said a House-passed bill would trigger Senate action. Until then, the panel will focus on issues such as sentencing reform, patent reform, whistleblower protection, asset forfeiture practices at the Department of Justice, and use-of-force policies at police departments. Most of the issues Grassley cited have some level of support among Democrats.

“Getting bipartisan bills is pretty important,” he said. “We’re trying to start from where we left off last year.”

Grassley’s comments mean the odds grow a bit longer for immigration reform during this Congress. The Republican-controlled House plans to pass piecemeal immigration legislation, but the only part many conservatives are motivated to move is an enforcement bill.

In January, House Republicans tried to fast track a border security bill, but opposition quickly grew, causing leadership to pull it from consideration. This month, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., reiterated plans to bring back the border bill, but the legislation would be a long shot in the Senate, where Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., would need to win over six Democrat votes.

It remains unclear if there is political will in the House to pass reforms to the legal immigration system such as a robust guest worker program, the lack of which many experts cite as the root cause of the nation’s illegal immigration problem.