A frustrating year

A year ago, the Senate approved a comprehensive immigration reform bill with bipartisan support. Millions of people hoped that this could help them regularize their immigration status in the country where they have been living and building their lives for years.

The bill was far from perfect. However, it represented the best opportunity in decades to modernize outdated immigration legislation that does not respond to the economic needs of the U.S. and does not provide peace of mind to the immigrant workforce.

Unfortunately, today the reform is dying in the House of Representatives. For 12 months, the Republican majority, particularly its leaders, kept alive the hope that they would do their part in passing the reform. In reality, the only thing that House Speaker John Boehner did was kill time, dashing the hopes of millions of families to protect the image of his caucus. He even had the gall to try to divert the attention of his chamber’s most intolerant wing, which dominates the issue of immigration, by accusing the White House of not enforcing the laws.

The Obama administration is being held responsible for the current legislative standstill. However, let there be no doubt: the Republicans are the ones who dealt the death blow to the reform.

Not all Republicans oppose the reform. On the contrary, their business and religious allies support the Senate’s bill. The problem is the internal Republican struggle against Tea Party populists who oppose it—and on this issue, they dominate the House’s majority caucus. They have a limited vision because of ignorance and ideological extremism.

Blocking immigration reform is a self-inflicted mistake that will eventually have an electoral price. Not necessarily because the Latino vote will turn to those who do not insult Hispanics, which has happened in this debate. But because the majority of Americans want to resolve the immigration issue, including legalization, and are tired of the hatred coming from the House of Representatives when it comes to immigration.