By a vote of 13-5, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee approved the comprehensive immigration reform bill entitled ''Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act" (S. 744). In Spanish it would be: ''Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act''. S.744 will now move to the full Senate where it could be debated in June.
The Committee debated the bill for five days and considered more than 200 amendments. Much of the initial proposal remained intact due to the bipartisan support of the Senators who are part of the Group of 8 and who originally introduced the bill.
The bill now goes to the full Senate, where it will be debated by all 100 senators.
The U.S. House of Representatives is drafting its own comprehensive immigration reform bill, which is expected to be introduced in the coming weeks.
Both bills - from the Senate and the House of Representatives - will have to be approved. If there are any differences between the two, a special committee will be set up to reconcile the differences.
If they reach an agreement, the bill approved by both chambers will be sent to President Obama for his signature, becoming law.
It is important to emphasize that S. 744 is only a bill that has not yet been approved.
I will continue to keep you informed of new developments as they become known.
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