WASHINGTON – A key Hispanic lawmaker charged Wednesday that the patchwork of immigration bills before Congress is nothing more than a Band-Aid being used to “cover a gaping wound.”

Rep. Joe Baca, D-Calif., chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, joined three fellow lawmakers in calling for Congress to shun piecemeal and enforcement-based immigration legislation and pass comprehensive reform. 

The vehicle: a bill that was introduced more than a year ago called “The STRIVE Act.”

No hearings are scheduled for the bill, which has 75 co-sponsors, but caucus members nonetheless touted it as the best solution for reform. The proposal touches on issues ranging from border enforcement to undocumented workers already living in the country.

The caucus members focused on what they characterized as the hodge-podge nature of other immigration reform proposals, including the push to increase the number of seasonal guest worker visas. The Hispanic caucus members blocked that measure because it tackled only part of the problem.

But the leading Republican on the House Judiciary Committee disagreed.

“For months, the Democratic majority and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus have prevented the House of Representatives from voting on critical immigration legislation, including a border security bill and an emergency increase in H-1B visas for American high-tech companies,” Rep. Lamar Smith of Texas said in a statement.

“They have held this legislation hostage to their demand for a massive amnesty for 12 million illegal immigrants, a demand that the Senate has already rejected.”
 A spokesman for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California said progress is unlikely on immigration reform without an end to partisanship.

“Unless the president and the Republican leadership engage Democrats in a positive way instead of using this issue to score partisan political points, members will only grow more frustrated with the process,” said Nadeam Elshami in a statement.