The Gang of Eight was a
bi-partisan
Bipartisanship, sometimes referred to as nonpartisanship, is a political situation, usually in the context of a two-party system (especially those of the United States and some other western countries), in which opposing political parties find co ...
group of eight
United States Senators
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and p ...
—four
Democrats and four
Republicans—who wrote the
.
In June 2013, S.744 passed the Senate with a strong majority—68–32, with 14 Republicans joining all Democrats. The
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
under Speaker
John Boehner
John Andrew Boehner ( ; born , 1949) is an American retired politician who served as the 53rd speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2011 to 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he served 13 terms as the U.S. represe ...
did not act on the bill, however, and it expired at the end of the
113th Congress
The 113th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, from January 3, 2013, to January 3, 2015, during the fifth and sixth years of Barack Obama's presidency. It was composed of the ...
.
David Nakamura
David Nakamura is an American journalist who works as the White House reporter for '' The Washington Post''.
Biography
Nakamura is of Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japa ...
& Ed O'Keefe
Timeline: The rise and fall of immigration reform
''Washington Post'' (June 26, 2014).
Members
In the context of proposed immigration reform, the Gang of Eight consists of the following four Democratic and four Republican senators. Of the eight senators that originally composed the group, six remain in office . John McCain died in 2018 and Jeff Flake's term ended in 2019.
* Sen.
Michael Bennet
Michael Farrand Bennet (born November 28, 1964) is an American attorney, businessman, and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Colorado, a seat he has held since 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, he was appointed ...
,
D-
CO
* Sen.
Dick Durbin
Richard Joseph Durbin (born November 21, 1944) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Illinois, a seat he has held since 1997. A member of the Democratic Party, Durbin has served as the Senate De ...
,
D-
IL
* Sen.
Jeff Flake
Jeffry Lane Flake (born December 31, 1962) is an American politician and diplomat who is the current U.S Ambassador to Turkey. A member of the Republican Party, Flake served in the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2013 and ...
,
R-
AZ
* Sen.
Lindsey Graham
Lindsey Olin Graham (born July 9, 1955) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from South Carolina, a seat he has held since 2003. A member of the Republican Party, Graham chaired the Senate Committee on ...
,
R-
SC
* Sen.
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two te ...
,
R-
AZ
* Sen.
Bob Menendez
Robert Menendez (; born January 1, 1954) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States senator from New Jersey, a seat he has held since 2006. Gale (publisher), Gale Biography I ...
,
D-
NJ
* Sen.
Marco Rubio
Marco Antonio Rubio (born May 28, 1971) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Florida, a seat he has held since 2011. A member of the ...
,
R-
FL
* Sen.
Chuck Schumer
Charles Ellis Schumer ( ; born November 23, 1950) is an American politician serving as Senate Majority Leader since January 20, 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, Schumer is in his fourth Senate term, having held his seat since 1999, an ...
,
D-
NY
Policies
According to a ''National Law Review'' article, the policies envisioned by the Gang of Eight include the following provisions:
* A path to
citizenship
Citizenship is a "relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection".
Each state determines the conditions under which it will recognize persons as its citizens, and ...
for
illegal immigrants
Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of the immigration laws of that country or the continued residence without the legal right to live in that country. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upwa ...
already in the United States is contingent on certain border security and visa tracking improvements. The plan provides for permanent residence for
illegal aliens only after legal aliens waiting for a current priority date receive their permanent residence status and a different citizenship path for agricultural workers through an agricultural worker program.
* Business immigration system reforms, focusing on reducing current visa backlogs and fast tracking permanent residence for U.S. university
student visa graduates with advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering or math also known as the
STEM fields
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is an umbrella term used to group together the distinct but related technical disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The term is typically used in the context of ...
.
* An expanded and improved employment verification system for all employers to confirm employee work authorization.
* Improved work visa options for low-skilled workers including an agricultural worker program.
References
{{Reflist, 40em
Legislative branch of the United States government
United States immigration law