No amendments to the 1,500 page immigration bill?‏

As David Nakamura reports in the Washington Post, the Gang of 8 “is attempting to craft an agreement so secure that the eight members will oppose amendments to its core provisions,” and that the bill is “expected to up to 1,500 pages.” These two facts bring further urgency to GOP concerns over Chairman Leahy’s plan to rush the bill through a mammoth bill with – at most – a single public hearing.  You can read the GOP letter to Leahy here and the GOP letter to the Gang of 8 Republicans here strongly opposing the Majority’s effort to rush the bill through before the public can be informed.  “Never again can Congress pass a far-reaching proposal only for the American people to find out what’s in it later,” Sessions said.

In GOP letter to the Gang, the Senators “ask that your staff be made available to brief Republican Committee staff no later than close of business on Monday, April 8” and adds that “we hope you will pledge your commitment to protecting the rights of the minority in the Senate by demanding a full, orderly and open debate process during Committee consideration and when the bill is sent to the full Senate.”  The Post’s reporting calls the Gang’s support for such a process into doubt, and the National Journal reports that “the close of business Monday came and went without Republican members of the ‘Gang of Eight’ sending staff to brief their Republican colleagues on the Senate Judiciary Committee about an immigration proposal, a request made by Sens. Chuck Grassley, Mike Lee, Jeff Sessions, and Ted Cruz in a letter last week.”  Today, Senator McCain said: “Now is the time to get it done as quickly as possible.”

Finally, illustrating how many critical outstanding issues remain, here are 10 questions for the Gang of 8