Obama Begins Push for Immigration Reform

Related subjects: Immigration Policy, Legislation, Obama administration, Open Government, Rights & Freedoms, Security & Surveillance, U.S. Law, U.S. Politics, U.S. news Comments (2)

30 June 2009 :: staff

As part of a uniquely broad vision for economic reform and recovery, Pres. Barack Obama is seeking to push Congress to craft, debate and vote on comprehensive immigration reform legislation by the end of this year. Last week, Obama announced plans to start discussions on immigration reform and called Congressional leaders with a diverse range of views, constituencies, goals and strategies on the issue. 

Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-IL) said Obama showed firm leadership during the meeting, specifically: “I don’t think he could have be clearer today or more committed today that he wanted to make comprehensive immigration reform a reality”. Ruben Navarrette, Jr., a member of the San Diego Union-Tribune editorial board, says immigration reform will require “courage” and sees Obama’s high-profile demand that legislators take up the issue as a sign he is willing to put real political capital behind the initiative. 

Foreseeing the work of comprehensive immigration reform would require legislative “heavy lifting”, Obama told lawmakers ”It’s going to require a victory of practicality and common sense and good policymaking over short-term politics. That’s what I’m committed to doing as president”. The president is clearly already preparing to cast the debate as one between rational pragmatic problem-solving and irrational obstructionism and know-nothing politicking. 

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Emerging from the meeting, Obama said to the press:

After all the overheated rhetoric and the occasional demagoguery on all sides around this issue, we’ve got a responsible set of leaders sitting around the table who want to actively get something done and not put it off until a year, two years, three years, five years from now, but to start working on this thing right now.

Obama admits there is nothing resembling consensus among all the disparate views of legislators, opinion-makers and stakeholders coming to the table, even that a passable and worthwhile raft of comprehensive reforms may not be ready by year’s end, but reiterated that getting negotiations started and having a good-faith debate on the most salient (and controversial) issues, sooner rather than later, is the more practical approach. 

Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel reportedly told the Christian Science Monitor that “It’s not impossible” to achieve some version of immigration reform this year, though there will be many obstacles in negotiations with Congress. He said, however, it was more important “to get it started now” than to worry about whether it happens in 2009 or 2010. 

Despite significant skepticism about taking on an issue that has stalled so many times, a New York Times editorial observes: 

The meeting was more encouraging than that. It led to a persuasive show of unity among Republicans and Democrats. Both sides made the case for getting a comprehensive reform bill written and passed this year, or early next. Mr. Obama announced that the homeland security secretary, Janet Napolitano, would lead a working group of both parties and houses of Congress to do that.

It now seems more likely than before that Mr. Obama is ready to lead the way, uniting problem-solvers in both parties out of a long-stalemated debate.

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) has taken the reins of leadership on Democratic immigration reform policy, with Sen. Kennedy (D-MA) in ill-health. His recent speech on the issue laid out a bold framework of basic principles that both Republicans and Democrats appear to support. Illegal immigration would be opposed, and undocumented immigrants would be required to register, study English and pay relevant taxes to avoid deportation. 

But the agenda would focus on “regularization”, a process of normative legalization, with strict enforcement, not a blanket amnesty. A path to legitimate residency and citizenship would be the most productive means of regularizing the immigration problem and solving the crisis of the undocumented. Border enforcement would be aimed at stemming the flow of illegal migrants and undermining the work of dangerous human trafficking gangs. 

As the Times editorial puts it: “The path back to a lawful system is through legalization and an improved, well-managed immigration flow.” Public opinion surveys suggest a majority of American voters support these basic principles as more pragmatic and in keeping with the spirit of a democratic nation of immigrants, but all sides —even groups defending today’s undocumented immigrants— agree the key problem is what to do about future inflows of undocumented workers.