House opens first immigration hearing

— The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee said the nation’s immigration system is “in desperate need of repair” as he opened Congress’ first hearing on immigration.

The session Tuesday comes as President Barack Obama pushes for swift action to pass immigration legislation.

But the Judiciary chairman, Republican Bob Goodlatte of Virginia, cautioned against a “rush to judgment” and said each piece of the issue must be examined in detail.

Goodlatte said there are lots of questions about how any large-scale legalization program would work, how much it would cost and how it would prevent illegal immigration in future.

Obama supports a pathway to citizenship for 11 million illegal aliens already in the country, something many Republicans oppose.

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