By Stephen Dinan
The Washington Times
Tuesday, April 30, 2013



President Obama on Tuesday said he’ll be the final arbiter of whether an immigration bill can succeed this year, saying it must boost border security and rewrite the legal system, but also must give illegal immigrants a definite path to citizenship.

“If it doesn’t meet those criteria then I will not support such a bill,” Mr. Obama said at a press conference at the White House.

He said the new Senate immigration bill, negotiated by four Democrats and four Republicans, meets all of his goals, though it doesn’t exactly match how he would have written a bill.

Indeed, Mr. Obama has had to embrace a much longer pathway to citizenship — potentially 13 years — than he’d wanted, and has accepted that that pathway will be tied to “triggers,” which are certain conditions that must be met before citizenship rights kick in.

Mr. Obama had earlier said he wanted a more definite pathway to be available to illegal immigrants.

The crux of the Senate bill is a deal that first grants illegal immigrants legal status and work permits, but withholds a full pathway to citizenship until the federal government has taken more steps on border security, has finalized an electronic verification system for employers to check new hires, and has completed an entry-exit visa check system at air and seaports — though not at land border crossings.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...r-immigration/