Sen. Inhofe Won't Filibuster Bipartisan Immigration Deal

Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., will not filibuster any bipartisan deal on immigration reform that comes out of the Senate, despite deep concerns that a “pathway to citizenship” might be part of that deal, reports The Hill.

“I wouldn't. I wouldn't filibuster,” Inhofe said in an interview with CNN on Monday, according to the publication.

“This is not an issue I just — you know, I'm into as much as they are. I just know that I am concerned about the citizenship. I am concerned about what is happening with those who have done it the legal way.”

Inhofe said that he would not automatically support an immigration deal put together by the Senate's bipartisan “Gang of eight” even if the four Republican senators involved believed that the terms of a pathway to citizenship imposed an adequate waiting period and sufficient monetary fines.

“I look at these people who came over the legal way, the hard way, and I can tell you now that my heart bleeds every time I hear people talking about an easier way for illegals to become citizens,” Inhofe said, the publication reports.

Inhofe also said he had concerns that a compromise bill would be diluted through the amendment process.

“I would almost say to my good friends, the Republicans and Democrats, they don't know enough right now in terms of what they've put together,” Inhofe said, according to the publication. “There are too many things, too many changes that could take place.”