California Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez signaled on NOW with Alex Wagner Thursday that House Democrats may be open to a compromise on immigration reform that includes a pathway to legalization for undocumented workers, rather than a pathway to citizenship.
“There’s always room to talk and we’ll continue to talk with them,” Sanchez said.
Some House Republicans have suggested a path to legalization that would function like a work visa may be on the table. Republican Congressman Raul Labrador told Alex Wagner on Wednesday that he was confident a the House GOP approach would include “some sort of legal status,” which he believes should not “prevent anybody from becoming citizens, but would not necessarily give them citizenship status.”
Sens. Chuck Schumer and John McCain, both principal architects of the Senate immigration bill, said Thursday they are “encouraged” that many House Republicans think something must be done on immigration. But when asked about a path to citizenship, McCain said, “we believe fundamentally there has to be a pathway to citizenship but there are many other areas that we can compromise on that would make the bill acceptable.”
Watch Wagner’s full interview with Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez above.
Joshua Chaffee