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Well, we are at it again... The New York Times reported that the debate to overhaul the broken immigration system is being overshadowed by the debate of potential military intervention in Syria, in addition to debates about the Gov's Budget and its borrowing limits (debt ceiling). Since the Syrian intervention and debt ceiling/budget talks have gained popularity and are also being actively discussed in media outlets, the push for immigration reform has lost some of its lime light, but not its momentum. Even though House Republicans say that Immigration Reform has been pushed to the bottom of the list of priorities, reform advocates still plan to mobilize en masse during the fall to pressure the House to pass a comprehensive bill. During the month of October alone, it is expected that there will be rallies in about 40 cities, with a march/rally on DC on October 8th. Please click here to read the original article...

As many probably know, a huge milestone was reached when the Immigration Reform Bill passed the Senate with flying colors (68-32). However, the real test is yet to start: The GOP controlled House of Representatives and their leader, Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio). Boehner is one of the strongest critics of the current bill that was passed in the Senate, and has explicitly said that he won't send any bill to the House floor unless it has significant support from his Republican colleagues in the House (the Hassert Rule). Moreover, he has stated that the Senate Bill 'needs a lot of work,' and he would rather vote on an immigration bill that has been developed in the House. This guy is a tough cookie with a lot of influence in the House, so the more Republicans that jump on board the bill before they reconvene on July 10, the better. On this date (July 10), GOP members of the House will meet to discuss what options are available to them and how to proceed. Below are a couple things to be aware of before the House opens the floor for Immigration Reform: GOP Members of the House are against a pathway citizenship (at least the majority of them) The House wants to offer both a comprehensive bill and single-item bills Some House GOP members have not even read the Senate Bill All things considered, there is significant pressure on Congress to overhaul the immigration system. Given the unpopular finger-pointing that takes place whenever there is either a gridlock in congress, or when a bill fails to pass because of increased disagreement among the voting parties, citizens (I mean everyone, even you) and voters are demanding that elected representatives get the job done. Also, mid-term congressional elections are fast approaching (2014), and the GOP has been under increased scrutiny because of the perceived notion that Republicans are to blame when something is not done in Washington. In addition, not only do they want to either have significant control of the House or Senate, they also want to be strong contenders for the 2016 Presidential Election and increase their popularity among Latino voters. Let us hope for the best and keep supporting those individuals that are constantly in the front lines fighting for the rest of us. Further reading: http://www.policymic.com/articles/51979/immigration-reform-2013-house-gop-now-control-the-game-but-what-they-will-do-is-anybody-s-guess http://www.voanews.com/content/us-immigration-reform-bill-facing-tough-republican-opposition-in-house/1691559.html http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/politics/2013/06/28/immigration-bill-test-for-house-republicans/ http://firstread.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/06/28/19188789-congress-all-eyes-on-the-gop-controlled-house-now-on-immigration?lite JULY 10!

One of the reason why the Dream Act failed in 2007 is because it was included in the 2007 Comprehensive Immigration Reform which wasn't popular at the time. The Dream Act on the other hand still maintained its popularity through-out the years even though it failed few other times thereafter in Congress. My question to you all is this; Should the Dream Act be included with the Comprehensive Immigration Reform again or should the Dream Act be a stand-alone bill? I ask this question because, if the Dream Act would be allowed to be introduced as a stand alone bill for a Senate and a House vote, it will most definitely pass with little opposition. This is not just my opinion but the opinion of many politicians and reporters, because many republican politicians who were opposed to the Dream Act are now in supportive of it. I'm just afraid that Comprehensive Immigration Reform might end-up killing the Dream Act again.