Paul Ryan: Immigration a Question of ‘When’

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) pressed the economic case for overhauling the nation’s immigration system on Wednesday, saying that reform is inevitable and necessary to boost growth in the United States.

{snip}

“To me, it’s not a question of ‘if’ we fix our broken immigration laws,” Ryan said Wednesday at a breakfast hosted by the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. “It’s really a question of ‘when.’”

Ryan called the nation’s immigration laws “chief” among the problems that are curbing economic growth. Noting the rate of retirement among baby boomers, Ryan said reforming the immigration system is necessary to fill future jobs.

“Please know that we understand the value of immigration,” Ryan told the crowd. “We know its importance; we know its roots, its history here in America; and we have ideas on how to make this go forward and make it work so that we do have the rule of law, so that we do have reform, so that we’re not in the same position 15 years down the road.”

{snip}

Ryan recently indicated in an interview with his hometown paper, the Janesville Gazette, that GOP leaders do not yet have the votes to pass immigration reform, but “we’re working hard to find where that consensus lies.”

{snip}