Bipartisan House group comes to tentative immigration agreement

The deal reportedly includes a pathway to citizenship

Published May 17, 2013 1:20PM (EDT)

 Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla.    (Facebook/mdiazbalart)
Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla. (Facebook/mdiazbalart)

A bipartisan group of Representatives reached a tentative deal on immigration reform, a proposal that's expected to be introduced as legislation in June.

Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., told reporters that the House version will differ “in a lot of areas” from that of the Senate, but the agreement is an important first step in a “a very difficult process.”

Bloomberg News reports:

The House proposal, like the Senate’s, offers a path to citizenship for many of 11 million undocumented immigrants already living in the U.S., according to a House aide not authorized to discuss the deal publicly. While none would be barred from seeking that path, they would have to wait 10 years to become legal residents, making them eligible for citizenship after another five years. The bipartisan proposal in the Senate envisions a path to citizenship taking at least 13 years.


By Jillian Rayfield

Jillian Rayfield is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on politics. Follow her on Twitter at @jillrayfield or email her at jrayfield@salon.com.

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House Republicans Immigration Immigration Reform John Yarmuth Mario Diaz-balart