Boehner hires well-known immigration policy expert

House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) announced a series of moves among his junior staff Tuesday, including the addition of an immigration policy analyst who has worked for Republicans that have supported allowing undocumented immigrants to earn U.S. citizenship.

Boehner's office said that Rebecca Tallent, the director of immigration policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, would be joining the staff on Wednesday. She is a former chief of staff to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and former congressman Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz.), who have authored legislation establishing paths to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. McCain also was a lead sponsor of the bipartisan Senate immigration bill approved in June.

Boehner’s office described Tallent as "a well-known expert" in the immigration field who will help the House "enact step-by-step, common-sense immigration reforms — the kind of reforms the American people understand and support."