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Ianus 12-05-2008 08:24 PM

Immigration High on Obama's Priority List
 
Probably one of the more balanced articles out there,The Kiplinger blog enters the fray on what they expect on the immigration matter.
Quote:

It's not getting much attention -- not with more pressing economic and national security issues -- but President-elect Obama is quietly laying the groundwork for a big push later this year on a comprehensive immigration bill.

He's already designated two point persons -- his former opponent, Arizona Sen. John McCain, and his new secretary of Homeland Security, soon-to-be-ex-Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano. It's a match made in heaven.

When Obama met with McCain last month, it wasn't just a courtesy call. The president-elect was reaching out and looking for issues on which the two former adversaries could work together. Immigration was high on the list. It didn't figure much in the campaign for the very reason it's ripe for cooperation; there's little daylight between the McCain and Obama positions. The two men agreed to work together on the measure, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who was there, agreed to help.


By picking Janet Napolitano as his head of Homeland Security, which includes Customs and Immigration Enforcement, Obama was also picking someone ideally suited to help craft an immigration policy. As governor of a border state, she took a practical stand that won her allies in competing camps. She was the first to seek help in guarding the border from National Guard troops, but she has questioned the wisdom of building a border fence on the grounds that it's too costly and won't work well enough. When the Arizona legislature passed a bill imposing the toughest-in-the-nation sanctions on employers who hire illegal aliens, she came to the defense of the business community, which opposed the bill, and signed it only after fighting for some modifications. She knows the immigration problem as well as anyone in Washington -- probably better than anyone in Washington.

Why would Obama look for a fight on this issue when he has so many seemingly bigger fish to fry? First, it's a major problem that begs for a better answer than stirring up prejudice and denying businesses the workers they'll need when the economy recovers. Second, Obama owes something to Hispanics, many of whom are disappointed that one of their own, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, didn't get the secretary of State nod (he'll settle for Commerce.). Third, it's a way to do something that business wants (and unions don't), allowing Obama to show he's not all pro-labor and anti-business.

Obama, McCain and Napolitano will push for a bill that looks a lot like the one President Bush championed unsuccessfully -- including a large guest worker plan and some path to legal status for the millions of illegal immigrants already in the U.S.

Passage won't come easy. While some of the loudest, most vociferous congressional voices are no longer in Washington (i.e., Colorado Republican Rep. Tom Tancredo), proponents must still contend with a vocal minority, egged on by popular broadcast personalities, namely Rush Limbaugh and Lou Dobbs. But with a bigger Democratic majority in the House and a strong bipartisan push in the Senate, it just might happen in Obama's first year in office.

lilbawler2001 12-05-2008 08:49 PM

Re: Immigration High on Obama's Priority List
 
Im glad Obama always talked about dream and CIR as 2 separate issues.

CIR_DREAM2009 12-05-2008 09:09 PM

Re: Immigration High on Obama's Priority List
 
A guest worker plan??!! I thought that thing was dead due to the economy.

I hope Dream can be its own issue and not tied to the CIR battle. Dream has been attached to CIR for most of its existence, and as a result, DREAM has always sunk as a passenger of the SS CIR.

CIR should pass too, but please, please, please let Dream be its own issue. We've been getting mixed signals from the articles posted.

Ianus 12-05-2008 11:36 PM

Re: Immigration High on Obama's Priority List
 
Lol @ CIR,The guest-worker idea will never die as long as the US Chamber of Commerce is around.They will always advocate for a guest worker program,whether it be a temporary work program or highly skilled one.

Imo,there is absolutely no way around it,a Guest worker program will always be apart of a CIR package even though unemployment is currently rising,Republicans will be demanding it due to having strong business ties.

CIR_DREAM2009 12-06-2008 10:39 AM

Re: Immigration High on Obama's Priority List
 
I guess my description was confusing. I meant that I thought they would separate out the guest worker plan for now and just focus on a path to citizenship/tougher border security reforms for CIR. But it looks like they're going for a mega ship strategy again when it comes to CIR. That strategy has ruffled too many feathers before, but we'll see.

Politically speaking, I fear the response a guest worker plan would bring when so many people are out of jobs and so many are fearful of losing their jobs.

All I want is for Dream to be its own issue but still hope for CIR to pass. Obama's rhetoric does indicate that Dream and CIR are two different issues, but you never know until the time arrives what the Administration's strategy is.

lilbawler2001 12-06-2008 10:56 AM

Re: Immigration High on Obama's Priority List
 
Quote:

Garcia said it is now up to 111th Congress, which will convene in January, to take up this issue.

"There's a commitment to tackle immigration in the first term," Garcia said. "We don't know when or how, but we're here to push them to do it."

In the 110th Congress, the Senate failed to pass the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act in 2007. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, voted against the bill, which was introduced by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Tina Gray, spokeswoman for Cornyn, said the senator thinks comprehensive immigration reform has to be a top priority for the 111th Congress. Cornyn is the senior Republican on the Senate immigration subcommittee.

Cornyn will push his colleagues to work on a bipartisan bill to tackle the issue, Gray said.

In a statement, Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, said he agrees with the task force that Obama's administration has to address the issue of immigration reform. When the House passed the Secure Fence Act in 2006 to create a border fence, Reyes voted against the bill.

Without adjusting the current system, he said the government has no way to identify the 9 million to 12 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S.

"The federal government cannot feasibly deport everyone who has entered the county illegally, and must implement policies that will encourage these individuals to emerge from the shadows so law enforcement can focus on the select few who may pose a security risk," Reyes said.
http://www.infozine.com/news/stories...iew/sid/32360/

Cornyn always says one thing before and becomes an obstructionist during the debates.

lilbawler2001 12-06-2008 11:11 AM

Re: Immigration High on Obama's Priority List
 
Quote:

Sen. John Cornyn received a briefing Friday in Washington.
"I am pleased that ICE and Harris County officials are moving quickly to address my concerns," Cornyn said in a statement. "ICE informed me that they have developed an effective working relationship with Harris County and other Texas law enforcement entities to ensure all criminal aliens housed in the Harris County system are screened for immigration and criminal history.
Cornyn added that the newspaper's investigation is only the latest example of why comprehensive immigration reform must be a top priority in 2009.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...n/6149764.html

Is cornyn changing his tune on CIR?

Youguysareawesome 12-06-2008 11:25 AM

Re: Immigration High on Obama's Priority List
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by lilbawler2001 (Post 114177)
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...n/6149764.html

Is cornyn changing his tune on CIR?

Deftbeta graciously agreed to lobby Cornyn for us. I say we remember to utilze him. :D

Corny needs to change his mind about CIR/DREAM fast because he barely scraped by this time, next time is going to be even tougher....

lilbawler2001 12-06-2008 12:40 PM

Re: Immigration High on Obama's Priority List
 
Okay, i got this information from the dream act texas blog. I wonder how accurate their information is.

Quote:

No longer just HOPE. The DREAM is now. While Governor of Arizona, Napolitano, who has been named head of the Department of Homeland Security VETOED a bill that would have ended in-state tuition for DREAMers. Obama said he would pass the DREAM Act in the first hundred days. This is the time to mobilize.
http://dreamacttexas.blogspot.com/20...-dreamers.html

Seems the blog was just posted today.

questionsihave 12-06-2008 01:27 PM

Re: Immigration High on Obama's Priority List
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by lilbawler2001 (Post 114181)
Okay, i got this information from the dream act texas blog. I wonder how accurate their information is.



http://dreamacttexas.blogspot.com/20...-dreamers.html

Seems the blog was just posted today.

I wonder how recent this 100 days comment was. Still it seems there will be a push for the Dream act very early.

We will need to be ready.

About Cornyn, maybe he has noticed the changing demographics in Texas. He seemed moderate when it came to immigration during the debates with Noriega.


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