Thread: Obama: Begin Work This Year On Immigration Reform

Obama: Begin Work This Year On Immigration Reform
Wednesday, 05 May 2010 07:00 PM

President Barack Obama said Wednesday he wants to begin work this year on legislation overhauling the nation's immigration system, firming up his commitment on a key priority for Latino voters and lawmakers.

Obama's comments at a Cinco de Mayo celebration at the White House reaffirmed his long-held support for immigration reform. He went a step further than he has in the past by calling for the work to begin this year.

Latino groups have been calling for Obama to deliver on his campaign promise of making immigration reform a top priority, with some activists and lawmakers in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus complaining he wasn't doing enough.

Obama clouded the issue last week by saying "there may not be an appetite" in Congress to deal with another hot-button issue immediately after grueling fights over health care and financial regulation.

There also may not be enough time left on the legislative calendar to take up a contentious issue with midterm elections looming in November, but by making the commitment Obama may at least be able to tell Hispanic groups he tried.

Obama acknowledged immigration reform would be difficult to achieve and would require bipartisan support — something that's lacking in the Senate right now. And he made no commitment to finishing the process this year.

But he said it was the only way to deal with the nation's immigration problems.

"The way to fix our broken immigration system is through common-sense comprehensive immigration reform," the president said.

"I want to begin work this year and I want Democrats and Republicans to work with me."

Obama again denounced the law passed in Arizona that allows police to require people to prove they're in this country legally. He said federal officials were monitoring it for possible civil rights violations.

http://newsmax.com/InsideCover/US-Obama ... /id/357984

Source: The Associated Press

The Hill
Obama uses Cinco de Mayo to call for immigration reform, criticize Ariz. law
By Eric Zimmermann - 05/05/10 06:16 PM ET

President Obama urged Congress on Wednesday to begin work on immigration reform this year.

In remarks at a Cinco de Mayo event at the White House, Obama said the controversial immigration law passed in Arizona showed why the federal government needs to take action.

The Arizona law, he said, would turn legal immigrants and citizens into "subjects of suspicion and abuse."

"You can't start singling out people beacuse of who they look like or how they talk or how they dress," he said.

Instead, Obama called on Congress to enact "common sense, comprehensive immigration reform" that would focus on securing the border and providing a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

"I want to begin work this year, and I want Democrats and Republicans to work with me," Obama said.

Senate Democrats have been at odds over whether to begin work on immigration or climate change first.

Though initial reports indicated that Majority Leader Harry Reid would bring up immigration, Reid has since said that the climate bill will be first up.

Source:
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing- ... s-ariz-law

Added to Homepage:
http://www.alipac.us/article-5230--0-0.html

Mr. Obama: Americans do not support amnesty for illegal aliens. All aliens must be deported. Enforce current immigration laws and send troops to the borders. We do not need new laws for individuals who do not obey our laws. DEPORT THEM. By the way, Democrats will not win in November nor in 2012 because you support amnesty. And you do not deport all illegal aliens. That is why DEMOCRATS WILL BE REMOVED FROM OFFICE THIS NOVEMBER AND IN 2012.

Mr.Obama knows the overwhelming number of Americans do not want amnesty for illegal invaders. That does not matter to him, as he has demonstrated time and again the will of the people means squat. What matters is creating 12-20 (potentially many more through chain migration) million new democratic supporters for years to come.

It's likely the same reason why Kennedy supported the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which shifted immigration from European nations, to third world nations, engrossed in poverty and illiteracy. The type of immigrant that would be dependent on government for their subsistence, as well as loyal to those they perceived as opening the door for them.

It' Mr.Obama's chance at 1965 all over again....

let him try. the death rattle of democrat political control will be insured by hussain jamming, or trying to jam, amnesty down the throat of america. good for him!! watch what he does, not what he says. can a president be recalled?

Originally Posted by draindog

let him try. the death rattle of democrat political control will be insured by hussain jamming, or trying to jam, amnesty down the throat of america. good for him!! watch what he does, not what he says. can a president be recalled?

A President can be Impeached for allowing Federal Laws to be broken. He and the Congress are literally Aiding and Abetting Illegal Immigration which puts our country at risk to foreign born terrorists. Obama and most people In Congress are violating their OATH OF OFFICE every single day.... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oath_of_of ... ted_States

Originally Posted by topsecret10

Originally Posted by draindog

let him try. the death rattle of democrat political control will be insured by hussain jamming, or trying to jam, amnesty down the throat of america. good for him!! watch what he does, not what he says. can a president be recalled?

A President can be Impeached for allowing Federal Laws to be broken. He and the Congress are literally Aiding and Abetting Illegal Immigration which puts our country at risk to foreign born terrorists. Obama and most people In Congress are violating their OATH OF OFFICE every single day.... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oath_of_of ... ted_States

http://www.emailyoursenator.com/oath.html

Originally Posted by topsecret10

Originally Posted by draindog

let him try. the death rattle of democrat political control will be insured by hussain jamming, or trying to jam, amnesty down the throat of america. good for him!! watch what he does, not what he says. can a president be recalled?

A President can be Impeached for allowing Federal Laws to be broken. He and the Congress are literally Aiding and Abetting Illegal Immigration which puts our country at risk to foreign born terrorists. Obama and most people In Congress are violating their OATH OF OFFICE every single day.... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oath_of_of ... ted_States

Great idea! Praying that every amnesty loving bum gets booted out of office in November, then we have a shot at impeaching this bum. We need to kill any hope/chance of amnesty ever coming up again, permanently.

latimes.com
Obama's signal: No immigration bill this year
By Peter Nicholas, Tribune Washington Bureau
May 5, 2010 | 4:40 p.m.

WASHINGTON — President Obama gave his strongest signal to date that that he is prepared to let another deadline slip for passing an immigration overhaul, telling an audience Wednesday night that he merely wants to start working on the issue before the year is out.

Obama, speaking at a Cinco de Mayo reception in the Rose Garden, was silent on a timetable for completing an immigration bill. The lack of urgency seems consistent with remarks he made to reporters aboard Air Force One last week, when he said an exhausted Congress might lack the "appetite'' to vote on another divisive issue right away.

"I want to begin work this year, and I want Democrats and Republicans to work with me — because we've got to stay true to who we are, a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants,'' Obama said at the event Wednesday.

As a candidate for office in 2008, Obama said that immigration would be a "top priority in my first year as president.''

But at this point, he lacks the necessary votes. Thus far, no Republican has agreed to co-sponsor a bill that would both strengthen the border and provide a path to legal status for the 11 million immigrants living in the U.S. illegally.

U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who sponsored an immigration bill in former President George W. Bush's second term, said: "We have to secure the border first. We have not done that. We cannot enact legislation with a promise that has not been kept since Ronald Reagan gave amnesty to a couple of million illegal immigrants and promised to secure the border.''

Making matters more difficult for Obama, Democrats are divided over the urgency of immigration reform. At least two Democratic senators — Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas — have privately told the Senate leadership they'd prefer to see the issue put off until 2011, according to a Democratic aide.

Progress on the issue has been slow. Last week, a handful of Senate Democrats released a proposal, but they've yet to turn it into concrete legislative language that could be put to a vote. A Senate Democratic aide said that step won't take place until there are assurances that Republican lawmakers would go along.

Obama's stance left immigration advocates disappointed.

Joshua Hoyt, executive director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, said: "Sounds like more of the slow-walking, happy-talking president we've seen for the last year.''

Deepak Bhargava, executive director of the Center for Community Change, was part of a group of advocates who met with Obama at the White House two months ago to talk about immigration.

Bhargava said Wednesday: "The president needs to be clear and unequivocal that he is determined to get immigration reform done in 2010. He needs to call Republicans and Democrats to the White House and exercise leadership and put the full weight of his office behind a serious effort. We need him to be clear that it's possible and imperative to get legislation done this year.''

Obama also used the speech to reiterate his objections to the tough new anti-illegal immigration law in Arizona. He said he has "instructed my administration to closely monitor the new law in Arizona, to examine the civil rights and other implications that it may have.''

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld ... 6271.story