Homeland security chief predicts bipartisan progress on immigration - Page 2

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They can try and put off the inevitable. As much as I'd like to let my emotions and situation get the best of me- (Currently unemployed, out of college. Mom and Dad working 70+hours a week to provide for my sister (20), brother (15), and little sister (11), having to miss both of granddad's funerals (from both sides of the family), and having a 92 year old grandmother in Mexico that my mother is praying doesn't get sick otherwise she would have to go back and may not be let back into the country, etc. etc.)- either way immigration reform in this country is inevitable. The demographics of the nation are changing, and there are some in Washington that think they can curb this trend. Well I got news for them- immigration is a geographical phenomenon, not a political one. I can't wait until I'm legal so that I can go after those that made sure that for more than a decade I had little legal protection, little access to government assistance programs (note: I don't like being "handed out" anything, but it's nice to have the government on your side looking out for you), not no mention the psychological trauma that my family had to endure as a cause of the stigma of being an illegal immigrant. Yes we broke the law and we are bad people if you so wish to call us. But the government isn't necessarily guilt-free for eradicating our civil rights while they were too busy waging wars abroad. I predict a massive movement calling for retribution and compensation as a consequence of having a broken immigration system where the main victims were the poor, uneducated, and uninformed. Sorry for the rant but keep your head up everybody and just think- the more the White House holds their feet to the fire and promises to overhaul the system, the more accountable they are growing. It's only a matter of time. At the latest, Third or Fourth year of Obama's presidency. Let's mobilize and expedite the process so that the dream is made possible sooner!

i agree with 2face; we just need to continue to be positive and be strong. also, we need to make our voices heard and tell them that all we want is that chance to be legal and excel in the field that we want to go to and give back to the community that we know and love.

I am sorry guys but I think we chose the wrong president, I believe if we had chosen McCain, CIR and DA would have been passed by now... If we look towards American history the best immigration bill was passed by Regan who was a Republican, Democrats usually never pass any immigration bill...Kennedy 1965 bill was a good bill but Democrat was more a conservative party back then and Clinton didn't do a shit for immigration so I think Hillary would have done the same. Correct me if I am wrong, I am open to your views...

Even though their timeline is pretty vague, I'm glad to hear some news of bipartisanship... Better than the news of Blue Dogs or Republicans refusing to vote for something that would legalize us.

Napolitano expected to take lead on immigration reform in 2011

Published: August 28, 2009 at 12:00 pm
After years of dealing with border issues in Arizona, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano will have a lead role in President Obama’s push for nationwide immigration reform.

In Obama’s tumultuous first year, comprehensive immigration reform has taken a back seat to the economy, health care and the environment. But Obama is widely expected to push for immigration reform in 2011, and Napolitano may end up being the public face of the administration during the debate.

“Somebody’s going to have to quarterback that,” James Carafano, of the Washington think-tank the Heritage Foundation, said of comprehensive immigration reform. “I would put immigration on par with health care and cap-and-trade as kind of like one of these third-rail issues that can make or break a secretary.”

When Obama tapped Napolitano to head up the Department of Homeland Security, many observers believed her experience in dealing with illegal immigration and border issues as Arizona’s governor and attorney general made her an ideal candidate for the VISITA UNIVISION.COM PARA MAS INFORMACION. The apparent shift in priority from counterterrorism to other agency functions, primarily illegal immigration, was widely considered a sign that Obama would attempt to tackle immigration reform.

Homeland Security spokesman Matthew Chandler said the president asked Napolitano in June to be his point person on comprehensive immigration reform, “as it moved forward down the road into the future.” In mid-August, she hosted a White House meeting on the issue, which was attended by about 130 stakeholders.

David Olive, of the consulting firm Catalyst Partners in Washington, said many of the associates Napolitano brought from Arizona to the Department of Homeland Security are experienced in border issues as well. He cited Maria Luisa O’Connell, who left her VISITA UNIVISION.COM PARA MAS INFORMACION as president of the Scottsdale-based Border Trade Alliance in August to head up U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s public affairs division, as someone who can help Napolitano in the upcoming debate.

“She’s got a long association with Secretary Napolitano, and is well-known and is very well-liked. And I think so long as she continues to bring in people like that, she will be able to lead better because there are people who understand and can articulate her policies and her vision for the department,” Olive said.

Of the 20 or so people Napolitano brought with her from Arizona to Washington, several have extensive experience with immigration and border issues and have filled similar positions at Homeland Security. Former Napolitano aide Suzie Barr now serves as chief of staff for the assistant secretary at Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and former state Department of Corrections chief Dora Schriro works for ICE as an adviser on detention and removal. Former Arizona Department of Commerce Director and Nogales Mayor Marco Lopez and Toni Morales, former political director for the Arizona Democratic Party, are now at Customs and Border Protection.

Jeanine L’Ecuyer, who was Napolitano’s communications director in the Governor’s Office, also pointed to former chief of staff Jan Lesher and deputy chief of staff Noah Kroloff, who now hold similar positions under Napolitano in Washington, as Arizona transplants to Homeland Security who have a great deal of expertise in immigration issues. Lesher once headed up Napolitano’s Southern Arizona office, and dealt frequently with border county sheriffs and federal officials on immigration issues, and Kroloff “was involved in every discussion that occurred in the office related to immigration policy,” L’Ecuyer said.

“Right at the top there you’ve got two people who are her right and left arms, if you will, who are (well) versed and experts in these areas as well,” L’Ecuyer said in reference to Lesher and Kroloff. “She’s got some really knowledgeable, really good folks around her.”

Carafano said the number of Napolitano loyalists who are in key immigration and border-related positions shows Napolitano’s intention to make her mark on any bill the Obama administration crafts on immigration reform. “She’s definitely micromanaging. … She’s definitely driving policy on immigration and the border in the department, using her people to do that. That is a fact,” he said.

Carafano, whose organization focuses heavily on homeland security issues, said Obama’s decision to put Napolitano in charge of such a key agenda item shows the president’s faith in his Homeland Security secretary. He described comprehensive immigration reform as a make-or-break issue for Napolitano.

“Giving her immigration was huge. (Obama) didn’t have to do that,” Carafano said. “They’ll be her policies. If they’re successful, that’s good. If they’re not successful, she’ll be the one holding the bag.”

Clark Ervin, director of the homeland security project at the Aspen Institute, a Washington think-tank, and a member of Napolitano’s transition team at the Department of Homeland Security, said Obama’s decision to make her his point person on the issue shows the president’s trust in her. But he disagreed that it would make or break her tenure at the agency.

“Getting comprehensive reform is important to her political future, but not indispensable. I think people understand that it’s a complex issue,” he told the Arizona Capitol Times via e-mail. “I do think the number of staff brought over is notable. I think it indicates a desire to be surrounded by people she knows and trusts. Understandable, but it can be misinterpreted by long-timers and new appointees as a lack of confidence in them.”

Obama’s trust in Napolitano seems evident in the face of her role in the immigration reform debate, and the former Arizona governor is reputed to be among the president’s favorite Cabinet officials. She shocked many in the political world by backing Obama over Sen. Hillary Clinton in Arizona’s Democratic primary in 2008, and was among the last four names on Obama’s short list to replace Justice David Souter on the U.S. Supreme Court.

The extent of Napolitano’s prominence in Washington may be partly signified by the sheer number of people she brought to Homeland Security from Arizona. About 20 people have followed her to the department, an unusually high number, according to observers in Washington. And others who were close to Napolitano in Arizona have found jobs elsewhere in the federal system, including former chief of staff Dennis Burke, whom Obama recently named U.S. attorney for Arizona; former Arizona Department of Environmental Quality Director Steve Owens, now an assistant administrator at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; and former Arizona Department of Transportation Director Victor Mendez, who now heads up the Federal Highway Administration.

Washington lobbyist Ron Bonjean said the number of people Napolitano brought with her to Washington is notable, but ultimately irrelevant to most people, as long as they’re qualified and do their jobs well. But he questioned the notion that Napolitano is among the innermost of Obama’s inner circle, saying that’s a perception held more commonly by Arizonans than others in Washington or the rest of the country.

“I think it’s more of a regional perception than it is a national perception. Because the Obama administration has taken on so many initiatives, primarily regarding the economy and health care, it’s hard to see on a national level how close she is actually to the president until a national crisis hits,” Bonjean said.


WTF?????!!!! 2011 is bullshit. Let me guess, just in time for the Obama re-election campaign, so they then promise to 'approach' immigration within the first 100 days of his presidency in the year 2012? Hahahaha and quadruple ha. I don't think so. Fool me once, and shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on ME.

Re: "Napolitano expected to take lead on immigration reform in 2011"

Sound like a good plan! Ignore the promises you made to Hispanic voters and the Hispanic community so that in the 2010 mid-term elections, disillusioned Hispanics don't vote and the Democrats lose enough seats in the House and Senate to not have enough votes for this immigration reform in 2011. Brilliant.

your all soo soft, perhaps you can all wait more and its ok because you are still living in the shadows. How about your peers that are still in detention facilities and are awaiting deportation. The Lara's and Lusho's are not the only one who are being deported daily, there's many peers that you don't see in blogs asking for signatures so they can stop their deportation.

They are waiting for something to happen ASAP... but who cares, they will be forgotten when their plane touches down; like many have.

the only ones who will enjoy the benefit are the ones who haven't been caught yet... its a shame... in the end you say, "why did this happen"

Hmm... I wouldn't hastly step into any conclusions. Lets just wait and see where this leads.

Waiting is what is killing health care reform right now. And it is what killed immigration reform in 2007. Hell, if waiting for things to 'pass' is the key, then why are we all registered users on this blog? You need to do things when the timing is right, otherwise the opportunity just passes you by.