Miami-area Republicans helped the U.S. House pass legislation to give out more high skilled visas.
It's aimed at attracting master's and Ph.D. students in science, math and technology fields. Just ten Democrats supported it.
Republican Mario Diaz-Balart says it's better than doing nothing.
"This is a small part of it. I think this is a step in the right direction," he says. "Something we've all wanted to do for a million years that nobody has ever done. So it's a step in the right direction. Is it perfect? No, but it's a step in the right direction."
Now Diaz-Balart is pressuring G.O.P. leaders to sit at the table with Democrats in January and work out a compromise on immigration.
"Both Democrats and Republicans have used this issue as a political football. It's time to stop this," he adds.
The G.O.P. bill also allows more spouses and children of people with green cards to live in the U.S. while they await their own green card.
