Rep. Mac Thornberry Talks Immigration

Immigration reform is on the front burner for President Obama.

The president is putting pressure on congress to get it done within six months.

A group of eight senators has drafted the outlines of an immigration reform bill.

It would include making a path to citizenship available to the estimated $11million illegal immigrants currently in the country.

A bill has not yet been drafted.

Thirteenth District Congressman Mac Thornberry stopped by our KFDX studio today.

He says immigration reform may pass this year but lawmakers still have a long way to go.

Thornberry says the immigration program is terribly broken but he thinks there's a two-part plan that can mend it.

"Part of the key is if you can have better enforcement of the law at the border and inside the country, and that's where these interior border patrol stations become so important," Thornberry says.

He says the legal immigration system needs to be fixed before any reform can happen.

And in the event some type of immigration reform is passed this year, the government needs to proceed with caution as they implement it.

"You have to be very careful about it. Remember, there are people who are following our laws, waiting patiently in their home countries to come here in the legal manner. I think it would be absolutely wrong to put people who have violated our laws ahead of people who are trying to follow our laws," Thornberry explains.

He says he thinks it would be best to find a way for illegal immigrants to come to the U.S. just to work or gradually move them back to their home countries or into legal status.

But, he says he doesn't think moving them to citizenship is a good answer.