Congressman King Organizes Hours Long Public Debate on Immigration

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Congressman Steve King held a six-hour press conference Wednesday on the immigration bill that he feels is filled with flaws and moving forward too fast, according to a report in the Des Moines Register.

“As this debate has accelerated, it’s moved along a lot faster than I’m comfortable with, there has been people that have come to conclusions that are not based on any empirical data or good judgment,” King said.

The Senate bill would provide most of the 11 million residents living illegally in the country with a temporary legal status. An estimated 40 percent of those people came to the United States legally, but overstayed their visas, according to Yahoo news.

King has said that he prefers Obamacare to the bi-partisan Immigration bill and said on Wednesday that the bill would do nothing, but grant amnesty to millions.

The Senate plan would allow people to earn a temporary status that allows them to work if they meet a number of requirements including: passing background checks, submitting to fingerprinting and proving they've lived here since Dec. 31, 2011.

However that process wouldn't begin until a border security system was in place, according to a Frequently Asked Questions document about the bill posted on Sen. Mark Rubio's Senate website.

The border security plan includes a border fence plan, an electronic system that would verify workers' status and more.

A recent Des Moines Register Poll found that 54 percent of Iowans are in favor of granting these residents a path toward citizenship.