Thread: Napolitano says immigration reform on back burner for now

Napolitano says immigration reform on back burner for now
By Diana M. Alba
Posted: 09/17/2009 12:00:00 AM MDT


LAS CRUCES - While the federal government is "zooming along" on efforts to reduce the illegal drug trade and secure the border, immigration reform is on the back burner, at least for now, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told a crowd here Wednesday night.

Napolitano, addressing attendees at the 2009 Domenici Public Policy Conference, said immigration reform won't be taken up prominently until after the health-care reform issue is addressed. Still, she said it remains a goal of President Barack Obama's. She noted some work has begun in the Senate on draft legislation and said work is going on "behind the scenes."

"Once the Congress is done with health care, this will be one of the top three priorities he has, which is to really look at the underlying law, which from the immigration enforcement side needs to be strengthened in some areas and which on the legal migration side needs to be adjusted, so that we're really dealing with the work flow and labor issues that have been involved," she said.

Napolitano, a former governor of Arizona, has ties to New Mexico. She moved to the state when she was 6 years old and graduated from an Albuquerque high school. She said her first job out of college was working for Pete Domenici when he was on the Senate budget committee.

Napolitano said Obama has asked her to "play point for the administration" when it comes to working with the House and Senate on an immigration reform bill. She said some likely ideas will be ones debated previously, while others will be "novel concepts, particularly in the enforcement area, where we really need to fill some gaps."
The secretary said a bill also would address visa reform and immigrants who already are in the United States. She said she wouldn't give a time table for how soon the legislation might be taken up.

Napolitano spent much of her 30-minute speech outlining how her agency is taking steps to stem the illegal drug trade. She said there are efforts to increase cooperation with local and state law enforcement and with Mexican law enforcement officials. She said agent numbers have been boosted, especially in the area of intelligence gathering and analysis, which increases the likelihood of intercepting narcotics loads. The efforts target not only northbound drugs but southbound weapons and cash bundles, which finance smuggling operations, she said.

"If we can impede something in either direction, we can impact the cartels," she said.

An audience member, during a question period, pointed out that demand for drugs in the United States is feeding the smuggling problem. Napolitano acknowledged that was the case and said preventing drug use, especially among youth, will be "part and parcel of our effort."

Carol Lange, an agricultural biology student who attended Napolitano's talk, said the conference is a good way to hear first-hand about the policy discussions that are important to the country.

"The economic situation is a big one on everyone's mind these days, and living so close to the border, the border is important, as well as national security," she said.

Napolitano pledged to continue supporting the Federal Law Enforcement Training Academy in Artesia, after being asked about the facility by Domenici, who was in attendance. The facility trains Border Patrol personnel, among others.

An official said about 300 non-student and 400 student attendees registered for the conference. It began Wednesday and wraps up today.

Attendee Paul Wiget, a graduate student in chemistry at NMSU, said he was especially interested in hearing Napolitano speak, though he also attended panel discussions about nuclear energy, as well.

"I really wish that more of the general public could have heard the conversation about nuclear energy this afternoon," he said. "I think it could have dispelled a lot of the general public's concerns about the safety issues and the economic issues. There's a lot of misinformation out there about the benefits of nuclear energy."



Diana M. Alba can be reached at dalba@lcsun-news.com



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I do not think they want to tangle with a larger crowd if they try and passs some amnesty bill right now. Especially from what they have seen just over healthcare.

Folks--if you trust Napolitano--then you are naive. My life experience tells me that any time someone of a liberal bent wants to accomplish an act without strong opposition, they will lull the opposition with the news that it's not important and they will get to it in the future. Then you see a bill about something mundane, like traffic lights or school sports and embedded in that innocent little act---whammo---amnesty.