By Jessica Montoya Coggins NBCnews.com
WASHINGTON _ Republican officials told the Latino
business community of their hearty support for immigration reform Wednesday,
the same day Democrats filed a petition to force a vote on the issue.
Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., told attendees at the U.S.
Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s Legislative Summit in a keynote speech that
immigration reform legislation is "not a question of if, but when.”
But Democrats said 273 days have passed since the
Senate advanced a comprehensive immigration reform bill. Tired of waiting, they
filed on Wednesday a discharge petition that, if signed by a majority of House
members, could push the bill to the floor. There is little likelihood the
tactic will succeed, however.
The GOP officials spoke to a segment of the Latino
community more likely to vote Republican. Before Ryan’s speech, Reince Priebus,
chairman of the Republican National Committee, said immigration doesn’t have an
easy solution. “We have to do something,” he said.
Priebus pledged the party’s support for Latinos
saying, “the Hispanic community benefits when both parties are fighting for the
Hispanic vote.”
Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn, who voted
against the Senate’s comprehensive immigration bill, kicked off the summit with
emphatic support on immigration reform, citing the human toll inaction has
inflicted. Cornyn defeated tea-party primary challenger Rep. Steve Stockman in
early March and faces token Democratic opposition in November.
Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., who is one of the
staunchest advocates for reform, referred to the immigration debate as an
“800-pound gorilla" and warned further inaction is “a disservice to
millions of families.”
After the speeches, Andre Pineda, an attorney, was
skeptical that anything could get accomplished in "such a fractured
political environment."
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