Senator John Cornyn of Texas is believed to be the key figure that Senator Chuck Schumer and Senator Lindsay Graham are hoping to come onside to work towards immigration reform. Both men have said they need anther Republican before a reform bill can go ahead.
The Texas senator has been interested in the immigration issue and is not a knee jerk opponent of reform as long as it involves a long term solution to the undocumented problem.
Cornyn, who has Irish roots, may be queried on his stance over St.Patrick's Day by Irish government officials who are deeply interested in the question because of the large number of Irish undocumented.
Cornyn stayed involved in negotiations on the Kennedy/McCain bill far longer than his Republican colleagues and he is known to be concerned about the lack of Hispanic support for Republicans, especially in his home state of Texas. He is on record as saying strongly that Hispanics need to encouraged to join the Republican Party.
Schumer and Graham are meeting President Obama today to discuss the issue amid indications that Obama's approval numbers among Latinos are dropping steeply according to senior Democratic sources. The lack of movement on immigration reform is said to be the reason why.
Schumer says he is in position to deliver on immigration but needs at least one other Republican,other than Graham to come on side.Yesterday however, Graham,however, sounded far less enthusiastic about reform than he has on previous occasions leading some to wonder if he is feeling the right wing pressure in his home state of South Carolina
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