WASHINGTON — Florida Republican Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar and Texas Democrat Rep. Veronica Escobar have teamed up on a sprawling immigration bill that aims to revamp asylum processing, slash visa backlogs and provide a path to legal status for millions of undocumented immigrants.
The nearly 500-page bill announced Tuesday represents a rare bipartisan effort on immigration, a topic that has become a political wedge issue and source of stalemate in Congress for decades. And it includes proposals that incorporate elements from earlier, narrower bipartisan immigration bills.
Salazar, who represents a Hispanic-majority district in south Florida, said at a press conference Tuesday that the unveiling of the bill represents a historic moment.
