VOXXI, News Report, Posted: Oct 30, 2013

The only House Republican who has signed on as a cosponsor of the Democratic immigration reform bill predicts more GOP leaders will soon join him.

“While I’m the first Republican to support this legislation, I expect others to sign on in the next few days,” Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Calif.) said Monday evening in a call with reporters.

When asked what House Republicans he has been persuading to sign on, he responded, “I’ve been talking to a number of different members.” He indicated those members include the 28 Republicans who have already come out in support of immigration reform legislation with a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

“I’m going to continue to encourage my colleagues as I have for many months now to support realistic reform,” he said.

Denham, whose district is 40 percent Latino, announced his decision to cosponsor the immigration reform bill, known as H.R. 15, on Sunday during an interview with Univision’s Al Punto.

Rep. Joe Garcia (D-Fla.), a lead sponsor of the bill, noted that at least 185 Democrats have signed on as cosponsors of the bill. Like Denham, he predicts more Republicans will soon sign on as well.

“I expect in the next few days, in working with Rep. Denham and other leaders both Democrat and Republican, to find a few more folks,” Garcia told reporters. “Slowly but surely we are headed in the right direction.”

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