Source:The Washington Post– U.S. Representative Luis Gutierrez, D, Illinois

Source: The Washington Post: Ed O’Keefe- Interviewing U.S. Representative Luis Gutierrez: Immigration Reform’s ‘Rock Star’ Says House Bill Will Pass

What the Republican Party needs to figure out is that comprehensive immigration reform is in their long-term interest. Not so much short-term interest with their Far-Right that would like to see all illegal immigrants deported from the United States. But long-term the Republican Party is going to need Latino-American voters to be a competitive national party in the future. Immigration reform that legalizes Latino immigrants who are only guilty of being in America illegally, but who are productive, responsible residents of the United States and haven’t been convicted of any felonies, is the way for the GOP to break into the Latino community. They don’t have to give illegal immigrants citizenship even if they aren’t criminals, but at least allow for them to come out of the shadows, pay a fine based on how long they’ve been in American illegally and any back taxes they may owe, would tell the Latino-Americans that that the GOP no longer sees them as criminals and as Un-American.