Republican Congressman Lamar Smith of Texas is warning supporters of immigration reform not to get their hopes up. Smith is labeling the new proposal “amnesty” and predicts it won’t become law.
Smith is opposing the reform package announced Monday by a bipartisan group of Senators, saying it’s only a repackaging of immigration amnesty which has failed to win Republican support in the past.
“We shouldn’t be surprised that the Senators who were for amnesty years ago are still for amnesty today," Smith said.
Smith is the former Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and serves on the immigration subcommittee. He says the Senators’ proposal is unworkable and would act like a magnet for undocumented workers.
“What it’s going to do, in my view, is cost taxpayers millions of dollars, costs American workers thousands of jobs and it’s going to do nothing but encourage more illegal immigration," he said.
The big hurdle for the immigration reform package is predicted to be in the Republican-controlled House. Smith says the House will be tough on the proposal but he doesn’t think it will even survive the Senate.
