Obama's State of the Union Comments on Immigration Elicit Faint Praise and Frustration

By Elizabeth Llorente
Published January 26, 2011

President Obama, center, and Vice President Joe Biden, left, and Speaker of the House John Boehner, during the president's State of the Union speech on Jan. 25, 2011.

President Obama’s appeal to Congress in his State of the Union address to work across party lines on immigration brought hope to some, but aggravation to others.

People who want a tougher approach to illegal immigration criticized the President’s call for a pathway to legalization for undocumented students. They also objected to his support for helping students who come to the United States from overseas to study to stay here after they receive their degrees.

Rep. Lamar Smith, the Texas Republican who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, said in a statement: "It is hard to believe that the President would talk about the urgent need to create jobs, and then call for amnesty that would legalize millions of illegal workers who take jobs from U.S. citizens and legal immigrants.â€