Pelosi: Obama hasn't broken promise to try to enact immigration reform

President Obama hasn't broken his promise to seek immigration reform, Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) said Sunday in defense of the president.

Pelosi said that Republicans were to blame for the inability of Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform, and, barring that, the DREAM Act.

"Well, I don't think he broke his promise, what he found is that it is almost impossible with the resistance in the Senate of the Republicans to pass it," Pelosi said Sunday in an interview on Univision. "But that doesn't mean we don't keep on trying and keep coming up with new ways to do it."

Obama and Democratic leaders in Congress had talked consistently over the past two years about their intention to push forward with immigration reform, as they'd promised to do on the campaign trail in 2008. But the protracted healthcare battle and stagnant economy deprived Congress of the time and political capital to tackle comprehensive reform.

Instead, in the lame-duck Congress, the House passed the DREAM Act, a more limited bill providing a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children. But even this measure failed in the Senate, when most Republicans and some Democrats joined together to sustain a filibuster of the legislation.

That failure was seen as a disappointment to Hispanic voters, who tend Democratic and had favored immigration reform. Elected Democrats are hoping the inaction won't hurt Obama and the party at the polls in the 2012 election.

Democrats have vowed to return again to the DREAM Act and immigration reform, but it's tough to see how such legislation would advance through the now-Republican House.

"Well, our commitment had always been to comprehensive immigration reform, in order for that to happen we needed to have bipartisan support to have that done," Pelosi said.

The former Speaker, who's now in charge of Democrats as House minority leader, also hammered Republicans for slashing some border security funding as part of their budget cuts.

"Right now you see a contradiction on the part of the Republicans because securing our borders had always been part of comprehensive; securing our borders, unifying our families, path to legalization, well you know, protecting our workers, you know what the provisions are, but right now, just last week what they did was slashed the funding for security at the border," she said.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefi...gration-reform

whatever, this is enough for us. every time Democratic attempted to pass the bill at the end of year. This is just not enough for us.

How come Health Care Reform Bill was passed without Republican support??????? Either Democratic or Republicans, they are kicking us like a ball.

immigration issue is like a game of "HOT POTATO"

man this is not a excuses. both democratic and republicans want to gain more Latino votes!!!!!!this is the key

exactly, no one wanted the stupid health care reform and its funny how those who protest the loudest are those who need it the most, poor old people probably living on medicaid, yet they forced thru with that, and where did they put immigration? the last day of congress and merely surfaced it for vote, didnt even give any reasons on why it should pass or debate, all these excuses are starting to lose their credibility, the fact is nothings being done while states all over are going crazy like arizona

"Elected Democrats are hoping the inaction won't hurt Obama and the party at the polls in the 2012 election."

Hoping?? Obama and the Dems blew it. Pelosi has been smoking the pipe if she hopes that people should take a GAMBLE on someone who may/may not go on to win the presidential election, and who will then blame and pass on the responsibility of meeting his campaign promises to the OPPOSITION. Why would minority and immigration reform supporters give you their vote? Yes, "Get me back in the house, and I'll see what I can do for you". Hahahahahaha, if it weren't so comical, I'd cry right now.

23 Senate Democrats and the President are on the line for 2012. Webb, Conrad, Bingaman, and Lieberman are retiring. So is Sen. Lugar who as a Republican supports the DREAM act. You want people, including immigrant youth, to be your advocates in exchange for nothing?
Right now, voting for ANY of you is a gamble with very little promise of payoff. No thanks.

And if the Wisconsin stand-off goes bad for the workers, good luck after losing the unions who are the main contributors to the Democratic party's campaign.

The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round, all day long, well more like 20 +/-years long.

Nooooooooooooooo!!!!! Why!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think we might see some stuff right before the election going on with democrats and republicans but might just be for the democrats to tell us again what there going to do for us to get there vote again. Who can really trust Obama , Reid , Pelosi any politician. I would druthers have someone tell me the hard truth than seeing my family members being put through the same BS again. No politician should lie to people or get there hopes up falsely if in the back of there mind they no dam well what is going to happen.

No, these false hopes must not be tolerated any longer. I don't know what they are cooking up, but this domino effect of the states implementing their own immigration bills is being totally ignored by the federal gov. I mean I understand that there are many things going on in the political agenda right now, but something has to be brought up referring to immigration. Now the immigration issue is heating up and what the states are doing is something different, therefore something has to be prompted.