Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., the lead sponsor for President Joe Biden’s immigration bill, says he is looking to negotiate with Republicans in an effort to get the measure approved in the Senate.
Democrats, assuming they all stick together, would need to find 10 Republicans supporters to reach the 60-vote filibuster-proof threshold in the Senate, Roll Call noted.
“We have our work cut out for us to make the case for immigration reform, not just for immigrants and their families, but to Americans of all walks of life,” he said. “It's time to put political capital, and every other capital on the table to make this happen.”
And he said: “I'm under no illusions. I know from my time in the 'Gang of Eight' that passing immigration reform through the Senate particularly is a herculean task.”
Roll Call said Menendez was referring to a bipartisan group of senators who successfully pushed immigration legislation through the chamber in 2013. The bill died in the House, which was then controlled by Republicans.
Menendez did not say when he will officially introduce the bill, but said he would reach out to Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who is one of two GOP Gang of Eight members remaining in the Senate.
The other GOP member of the group, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., has called the immigration proposal a “non-starter.”
The bill proposes a pathway to citizenship for 11 million people living illegally in the U.S. It also centers on boosting labor protections for workers and enacting "smart" border controls.