Former President George W. Bush emerged in a rare appearance to address immigration Wednesday as the issue continued to dominate Washington.
Bush approached the topic gingerly at a naturalization ceremony at his presidential library in Texas: "I do hope there is a positive resolution to the debate and I hope during the debate that we keep a benevolent spirit in mind and we understand the contributions immigrants make to this country."
Bush's remarks come at a crucial time. House Republicans are in the midst of an internal battle over reform after the Senate successfully passed a broad immigration reform bill.
"[Republicans] should listen to his message, which is, 'don't commit political suicide over immigration reform,' Chris Hayes said on Wednesday's show. "But it seems, as expected, the House Republican caucus is intent on doing precisely that."
After meeting Wednesday, House GOP leadership released a statement questioning the Democrat-led Senate and President Obama's motives for reform.
[Americans] don't trust a Democratic-controlled Washington, and they're alarmed by the president's ongoing insistence on enacting a single, massive, Obamacare-like bill rather than pursuing a step-by-step, common-sense approach to actually fix the problem.
"If we're going to remain the most entrepreneurial innovative nation, have a strong economy, create a lot of jobs, we have to win this battle for talent," said co-founder of AOL, Steve Case, during All In Wednesday. "And immigration is a key part. Some in Washington view immigration a problem we need to solve, I view it as an opportunity we need to seize. And now is the moment."