CAMBRIDGE, Md. — House Republicans are proposing to overhaul immigration laws so undocumented immigrants can gain legalization if they meet certain requirements, and if the nation’s borders are certified as secure.
The document — a draft of which POLITICO obtained before it was circulated here to members of of the House Republican Conference — lays out no legislation, but rather broad principles to guide the process of writing it. Party leaders are expected to lay out these “standards for immigration reform” here at their annual retreat.
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In a shift for the party, Republicans are blessing a pathway to legalization for those who came into the country illegally. It does stress, though, that undocumented immigrants will have to go through the current immigration system and learn about the United States. Criminals will not be eligible for legalization.
(PHOTOS: House Republican retreat)
“These persons could live legally and without fear in the U.S., but only if they were willing to admit their culpability, pass rigorous background checks, pay significant fines and back taxes, develop proficiency in English and American civics, and be able to support themselves and their families (without access to public benefits),” according to a draft of the document.
The document also makes clear that the House will not negotiate with the Senate on its comprehensive immigration bill. In fact, GOP leadership has already begun laying out the differences between the House’s approach and the Senate’s bill.
“The problems in our immigration system must be solved through a step-by-step, common-sense approach that starts with securing our country’s borders, enforcing our laws, and implementing robust enforcement measures,” the document’s preamble reads.
(PHOTOS: Immigration reform rally on the National Mall)
The pathway outlined in the principles does not open up until the nation’s borders are secure. Securing America’s borders has long been a major issue for House Republicans — but how that can actually be accomplished was a major issue in passing the Senate measure.
“Finally, none of this can happen before specific enforcement triggers have been implemented to fulfill our promise to the American people that from here on, our immigration laws will indeed be enforced,” the document says.
Republicans discussed immigration reform at their retreat here on Thursday as they try to forge a path forward on the issue. Even discussing the idea of legalization is a major shift for House Republicans, many of whom have decried such a move as “amnesty.”
The document lays out policies beyond legalization. Republicans want to implement a “biometric” system to track those in the nation on a visa. The GOP wants to implement a “workable electronic employment verification system.” The document also calls for “an opportunity for legal residence and citizenship for those who were brought to this country as children through no fault of their own.”
The one-page principles has been one of the most hotly anticipated documents in recent memory.
“While these standards are certainly not everything we would agree with, they leave a real possibility that Democrats and Republicans, in both the House and Senate, can in some way come together and pass immigration reform that both sides can accept,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who has led the process in the Senate. “It is a long, hard road but the door is open.”
Seung-Min Kim reported from Washington.
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