Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) urged Republicans to embrace immigration reform in his Tea Party response to President Obama's State of the Union speech Tuesday night.
"We are the party that embraces hard work and ingenuity, therefore we must be the party that embraces the immigrant who wants to come to America for a better future," said Paul. "We must be the party who sees immigrants as assets, not liabilities. We must be the party that says, 'If you want to work, if you want to become an American, we welcome you.'"
Paul's comments come as momentum grows for immigration reform on Capitol Hill. President Obama has said immigration will be a priority in his second term.
In his State of the Union address, the president urged lawmakers to pass reform that included a pathway to citizenship for those already in the country illegally.
A bipartisan Senate group last month unveiled a framework that includes a citizenship pathway, calls for tighter border security and programs for guest workers and increasing high-skilled immigration. Another group of House lawmakers is also working on a bipartisan proposal.
But a measure to eventually grant citizenship to some illegal immigrants likely faces an uphill fight in the House, where many GOP lawmakers liken the idea to “amnesty.”
Read more on The Hill's Blog Briefing Room.
