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ICYMI: Miami members of Congress back immigration reform – and Paul Ryan, who won’t bring it to vote under Obama

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ICYMI: Miami members of Congress back immigration reform – and Paul Ryan, who won’t bring it to vote under Obama

Miami Herald

By Patricia Mazzei

October 28, 2015

When Republican Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin said he’d likely run for U.S. House speaker, Miami’s three moderate GOP members of Congress quickly threw their support behind him — even though Ryan has said he won’t take up on of the lawmakers’ top issues: immigration reform.

Ryan said he would not bring immigration legislation to a vote under Democratic President Barack Obama, whom many Republicans say can’t be trusted. They accuse Obama of playing politics with immigration to keep Hispanic voters casting ballots for Democrats.

No one expected an immigration vote during the remainder of Obama’s term. But Ryan’s assertion nevertheless offered Democrats a way to jab pro-reform Republicans for supporting his bid for speaker.

Nonsense, according to the Miami Republicans.

“I’m strong proponent of fixing our dysfunctional immigration system,” Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen said in a statement. “I deeply wish the U.S. Congress could come together and address this issue but I know of Ryan’s reluctance to make a deal with the Obama administration. Ryan has also said he believes in the pressing issue of immigration reform. However, instead of working with Congress, President Obama has taken steps that undermine this effort by taking unilateral executive actions that bypass the legislative branch and this develops deep mistrust.”

“The unaccompanied minors crisis and the President’s executive order probably sealed the fate under this administration,” added Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart’s spokeswoman, Katrina Valdes, in a statement. “Congressman Ryan’s statement simply reflects that fact.” (Diaz-Balart led the House’s last effort to try to pass immigration legislation.)

Neither Diaz-Balart nor Ros-Lehtinen was Democrats’ target on the issue, though. Instead, it was Rep.Carlos Curbelo, a freshman who faces a 2016 reelection challenge.

“Congressman Curbelo showed his true colors in endorsing Paul Ryan even after Ryan callously traded away any chance of enacting immigration reform to secure the support of hardline conservatives,” Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesman Jermaine House said in a statement. “South Florida families are going to hold Curbelo accountable for pretending to be independent at home when he’s really just another partisan Republican in Washington.”

Curbelo told the Miami Herald he remains a reform supporter, regardless of Ryan’s views.

“There are many Members of the House Republican Conference — likely a majority — who support immigration reform. I will continue to work with them and with my Democratic colleagues to make it a reality no matter who is speaker,” he said in an email.

Ryan said he would stick to the so-called “Hastert Rule,” which says no legislation will be brought to a vote if a majority of Republican House members don’t want it to (though the House has passed bills in spite of the informal rule, including the recent legislation to keep the government temporarily funded).

On that issue, Curbelo struck a note of caution for likely incoming Speaker Ryan.

“With regards to the ‘Hastert Rule,’ strict adherence to it could have the perverse effect of putting the interests of a political party over those of the country,” Curbelo said. “The Speaker of the House must always put the interests of the country and the institution of the House beyond any partisan considerations.”





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