Is now the time for immigration reform?

After years of partisan divisiveness over the issue of immigration reform, Washington appears ready to move -- and move swiftly. President Obama tomorrow will travel to Nevada to mobilize public support for a comprehensive set of reforms while a bipartisan group of senators has already outlined their framework for reform.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said today that "a consensus is developing in the country" around immigration reform, and he added, "It's happening because the president has demonstrated significant leadership on this issue."

Mr. Obama did indeed call for immigration reform during his re-election campaign, and some Republicans are interested in the issue at least in part because of their huge losses with Latino voters in the 2012 election. The Republicans involved in fashioning the bipartisan Senate plan are even on board with creating a pathway to citizenship for undocumented workers, a key issue for the president and several immigration reform advocates. Still, a number of Republicans in Congress remain opposed to the idea of "amnesty," and it's unclear just how much this issue matters to voters.

• Key senators agree on sweeping immigration reform
• Next order of business in Washington: Immigration reform

Immigration reform advocates say they're happy to see movement in Congress and are prepared to follow up those efforts with grassroots mobilization -- including a rally on Capitol Hill on April 10. "The goal of that event will be to put a face to the millions of invisible workers... who toil in this country and want to be a part of the fabric of America without fear of being deported," Hector Figueroa, president of 32BJ Service Employees International Union, told reporters at a press conference today.

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The SEIU and other pro-immigration reform groups recently commissioned a poll, conducted by Democratic and Republican pollsters, showing that 77 percent of voters favor a comprehensive plan for immigration reform, including a path to citizenship. Additionally, polls commissioned by the NAACP show strong support among black voters for comprehensive reform, as well as specific proposals like the "Dream Act," NAACP president Ben Jealous said today.

"This is the year to pass comprehensive reform," Jealous said. "This country has the greatest level of consensus on this issue we have ever seen."

At the same time, when considered against other issues, voters seem to make immigration reform a low priority: In a recent Pew Research Poll, 39 percent said immigration should be a top priority in Washington this year. There were 17 other topics that voters considered more important, including the economy, reducing health costs, reducing crime, protecting the environment and reducing the influence of lobbyists.

Given the current state of border security and illegal immigration, it may not be that surprising immigration is not seen as a major priority among voters. The U.S. government spends more on immigration enforcement than all other principal federal criminal law enforcement agencies combined, according to the Migration Policy Institute, while the number of undocumented immigrants has declined from its peak of 12 million in 2007.

Nevertheless, with both Democrats and Republicans expressing interest in creating a pathway to citizenship for those 11 million remaining illegal immigrants, both parties want to seize the moment. "This is a big deal, this is an important development," Carney said today with respect to the fact that the Senate framework includes that path to citizenship.

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[TruthTalks]

America needs ILLEGAL immigration ENFORCEMENT, not ILLEGAL immigration reform. You never reward bad behvior.

1. Build a wall along the border and have the U.S. troops patrol it because having an open border is a National Security issue. Use X-ray tech to detect and blow up any illegal tunnels connecting Mexico to America.

2. Hunt down, round up and DEPORT ALL ILLEGAL immigrants with their kids and stop giving kids that are born in America to ILLEGAL immigrants citizenship.

3. Give realtors and employers a 6 figure fine, loss of business license, and 5 years in prison if they're caught housing and/or employing ILLEGAL immigrants.

It's that simple but American politicians are selling America's soveriegnty out.

Most of these ILLEGAL immigrants are dangerous criminals back in their home country that's why they can't follow the laws to become legal citizens because they will be denied, our politicians are putting us all in danger if they do reformation instead of strict enforcement.

[TruthTalks]

Why are these ILLEGAL immigrants being allowed to break the law and get rewarded for their crimes by getting what they want? I can't rob a bank and keep the money after I get caught.

If I sneak and break into someones home, the government is not gonna REFORM the laws so I can stay in another persons home ILLEGALLY just because I have kids; I will be kicked out in handcuffs and sent to prison.

[tsigili]

ANYTHING but JOBS for Obama. Distract you from reality, so you don't think about the fact NOTHING is being done to put people back to work.

Not to mention, Obama wants that whole new voting bloc, for the Dem socialists, so they can NEVER lose at the polls again......EVER!

Obama will propose hand out, on a silver platter, citizenship, to get what he wants.

[Type_Z]

How about a budget?

[hillzagain]

I was against amnesty until I realized we can't afford to track everyone down and deport them. It would take years, during which time, two equally important things would happen: At least a million illegals would enter the US yearly and the Hispanic voting base would mobilize and over time elect politicians with a softer immigration stance, depleting spending on immigration control, resulting in higher immigration.

Extrapolate to a likely conclusion under that scenario: we are speaking Spanish in 15-20 years.

Deportation is not fiscally nor politically feasible. That's just the reality.

When I was a kid, my dad used to say, usually after a vigorous campaign on my part for some toy or other I wanted and couldn't possibly live without: "Hold your hands out. Put everything you "want" in one hand. Spit in the other. See which fills up faster."

Needless to say, I didn't get what I wanted.

[sam02135]

And this will guarantee another four years for the Democrats ... Hillary ... oh Hillary ...

[Ulgnud]

No it is not the time for reform. It is time to get serious and clean the illegal invaders out.

[cattiej]

You got that right..It is time for we the citizens to meet these invaders at the border and show them how to "about face".

[Frankie5551]

Please, immigration isn't the issue ... There is a ton of work we need to do in the US, and many of our American communities are being ignored because of some simple problems. I believe immigration reform is a priority, but if you're treating African Americans and people with citizenship like aliens, that's wrong, and these non profits should refocus priorities on what's here, not what's coming into the country. But they don't, and one look at the infrastructure of the NAACP illustrates the problem.

This is what we should bring our attention to at present:

Main problem is our community is stuck in selling outside ourselves, from
entertainment to retail. The church and a multitude of groups including
the NAACP get caught up in the glamor of smoozing with the rich and
famous, forgetting til the last minute that we need their support. I strongly feel that the current NAACP are apart of this problem, where they talk the talk but don't do the walk.
You can march all you want, but if your organization is littered with
people collecting paychecks and watching reality shows, what does that
say? One such person is the head of the NAACP's Criminal Justice,
middle-aged over the hill Dr. Niaz Kasravi, who's pined after this
womanizing fat Ben Jealous since she left Amnesty, and also spends her
NAACP time pining after a reality ex womanizing boyfriend from Shahs of
Sunset. Pathetic, straight up for her and for us (it doesn't serve our
needs, does it). She's has no interest in African Americans whatsoever.
Only interest appears to be dealing with mid-life crisis through
uninterested ex boyfriends. Not only that, known to inside circles, it's
a fact Mr. Jealous had a long term affair (while he was married) with
another middle aged married Iranian woman who metup with him in the Bay
Area several years ago when he was supposed to be working on a greater
cause. My perception is this will continue on , even at the upcoming
NAACP Awards show when our attention needs to be on current issues, not
trying to bed every star, journalist, and intern. We need leaders who
care, not leaders who talk about caring. Troy Davis might've been pardon
had the NAACP been on its toes, but that's not where it's priorities
are. It waits too late, like most mainstream African American entities,
to "reach out." That's why so many of us have lost faith in the
so-called networks where social mobility and feel-good antics get put
ahead of community needs.


Immigration is second to this, that is a basic fact.

[freethinkJeff]

Most voters do not have the time for politics, nor is immigration policy important to most voters, but most people will agree that it is an issue that Republicans and Democrats need to come together on to resolve. But unfortunately, the reason that Congress is doing it has nothing to do with giving dignity to illegal immigrants who are working our films and who are in the restaurants of kitchens. If that was the case, they would have reformed immigration policy a long time ago. There is only one reason why they are doing it, and it is the reason why they do most things; it is what businesses want. And our Congress, both the House members and the Senate, will listen more to people who run a business, or own a corporation, or represent an industry than they will listen to one individual who makes perfect sense, and this fact probably helps to explain why there are a growing number of registered independents in this country. I am glad that Republicans and Democrats are coming together to resolve an important issue, but they should do this for every issue, not just for when the American business community calls on them. And for those Republican tea party kooks out there who are always bringing up our wonderful founding fathers, please keep in mind that our founding fathers were all merchants or wealthy farmers, and when this nation first began, they would only allow such people to vote or in other words control the country. I guess some things never change.

[diddy_back_again]

Is now the time for immigration reform? No. There is already a way to this country legally. My parents did it. They should have done it, but chose not to and are playing the sympathy card.