Obama to renew push for immigration bill

Feenmi · 05-09-2011, 10:38 PM

Quote:

WASHINGTON — As legislators in dozens of states continue to cobble together their own solutions to illegal immigration, President Obama is renewing an effort to pass a natural solution that has been long sought by people on both sides of the debate.

After hosting three White House immigration meetings in as many weeks, Obama is scheduled to speak today in the border city of El Paso about the fate of the 11 million illegal immigrants living in the U.S.

The Hispanic community has been waiting more than two years for the effort, since immigration reform was a campaign promise that helped Obama garner 67% of the Hispanic vote in the 2008 election. The president pushed last year for the DREAM Act, which would have allowed some children of illegal immigrants to become legal residents, but the bill died in the Senate.

"There were high expectations raised in the Latino community and, right now, it doesn't appear those expectations are being met," said Janet Murguia, president of the National Council of La Raza, a Hispanic civil rights group, who attended one of the White House meetings.

Any bill that would provide a process for the country's illegal immigrants to gain legal status would face stiff resistance from Republicans in Congress.

Rep. Lamar Smith, a Texas Republican who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, said Obama is letting the politics of immigration trump his responsibility to secure the Southwest border and target illegal immigrants working in the U.S.

"It seems President Obama has once again put on his campaigner-in-chief hat," Smith said. "The president's push to legalize millions of illegal immigrants is purely political."

Ali Noorani, executive director of the National Immigration Forum, which supports a process to legalize illegal immigrants, agrees that part of Obama's push is political. "The president has always understood that this makes good policy sense, but he is feeling political pressure to start turning the wheels," Noorani said. But he said Republicans will struggle to capture the ever-growing Hispanic vote in the 2012 elections if they continue acting as roadblocks to a federal immigration solution.

In the absence of congressional action, state legislators across the country have tried to piece together their own solutions, resulting in laws that crack down on illegal immigrants in some states, such as Arizona, and laws that help them receive education benefits in others, such as Maryland. In all states, no matter the approach, lawsuits are plentiful.

Obama began to build momentum for a national immigration bill by inviting politicians, law enforcement officials, Spanish-speaking news anchors and Hispanic celebrities to the White House in recent weeks.

His administration supports a plan that would further secure the Southwest border, punish businesses that hire illegal immigrants, and create a legal immigration system that can better meet the needs of U.S. businesses and foreigners who want to work in the country.

Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates for lower levels of immigration, said if Obama couldn't get Senate Democrats to pass the DREAM Act last year, he stands no chance of passing a larger immigration fix through a divided Congress.

"He's going through the motions so as to satisfy those constituency groups that really care about amnesty," he said.

But with health care changes, regulation of the financial markets and other domestic issues already enacted, some see this as an opportunity for Obama to add one more domestic accomplishment to his résumé ahead of the 2012 elections.

"It's clear that he's trying to portray the image of a leader on an unresolved domestic policy priority and that's important," said Angela Kelley of the Center for American Progress, which supports a plan to legalize some illegal immigrants. "But it does beg the question: 'Where are we going with this?' He can and should make clear what his vision would be for sensible immigration policies."

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washing...tm?csp=34news#

DA User · 05-09-2011, 10:57 PM

Yes, tomorrow is a big day. Now is the time to pass the CIR/DA.

Hannie · 05-09-2011, 11:05 PM

I think the last sentence sums up what I'm feeling for Obama right now. What does he really want to do with immigration?

Thecure · 05-09-2011, 11:12 PM

Oh snap! He's getting the ball rolling on empty campaign promises. tsk tsk tsk

LifeDreamer · 05-09-2011, 11:30 PM

Some how I seem to find my self living from speech to speech. I think that's the only thing that keeps me from blowing my brains out!! Knowing that this could be the year...

hooligan111988 · 05-09-2011, 11:38 PM

im not buying it..what is he gonna say "we're doing all we can" blah blah blah...the only politician i respect is Luis Gutierrez...that's it.

buckminsterfullerene · 05-10-2011, 12:12 AM

not buying it, someone involved with a pro-immigration organization sent me the following

"President Obama insists that his “hands are tied” by Congressional inaction on immigration, yet immigration law experts, including former counsels to the agencies that manage immigration disagree and have drafted a legal memo outlining the scope of executive branch authority and examples of its use in the immigration context. " below is the link for the memo

http://www.immigrationpolicy.org/sit..._authority.pdf

MIdreamer · 05-10-2011, 12:16 AM

How in the world can I trust Obama? Just look at the timing. Why can't him do it 6 months earlier? Everything he does right now is for the election.

hgr1915 · 05-10-2011, 12:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MIdreamer

How in the world can I trust Obama? Just look at the timing. Why can't him do it 6 months earlier? Everything he does right now is for the election.

It doesn't matter as long as he is doing something , That's all i care about!

swordfish · 05-10-2011, 12:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hgr1915

It doesn't matter as long as he is doing something , That's all i care about!

Yeap....Obama is doing "something".........DEPORTING more people than the last GOP president. & THAT's ALL I CARE ABOUT.

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Obama to renew push for immigration bill