Obama Vows to Overhaul Immigration Laws

(AP)  President Obama on Thursday assured immigration advocates frustrated by the wait for a promised overhaul of U.S. immigration laws that he remains committed to fixing a system he has said is broken.

What remains unclear is whether Congress will send him a bill this year.

Obama also met separately later in the day with Sens. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who gave the president an outline of a bill they are drafting. Obama said afterward in a statement that he "looked forward to reviewing their promising framework."

Obama said he told the senators and the advocacy groups that "my commitment to comprehensive immigration reform is unwavering, and that I will continue to be their partner in this important effort."

The immigration issue is an important one for Obama, who has promised to work to solve the problem. Hispanics voted heavily for Obama in the 2008 presidential election, making the difference in key states like Florida, and their votes will be critical in the November midterm elections when Obama and his fellow Democrats will be fighting to maintain control of the House and Senate.

Latino voters who don't think progress is being made on the issue may not go to the polls.

Graham said he told Obama "in no uncertain terms" that the immigration effort could stall in Congress if the health care bill, which Republicans oppose, moves forward under a special process known as budget reconciliation that would limit the GOP's ability to derail the bill in the Senate.

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"Using reconciliation to push health care through will make it much harder for Congress to come together on a topic as important as immigration," Graham said.

Schumer said he and Graham asked Obama for help building support in the Senate for an immigration bill, and getting business and labor groups to agree on the future flow of lower-skilled labor.

The South Carolina Republican said Obama also promised to help resolve outstanding issues pertaining to "virtual fencing" along the border with Mexico to detect people trying to enter the U.S. illegally, and creation of a temporary worker program that is satisfactory to business.

Another idea on the table is some type of high-tech Social Security card to keep illegal immigrants from getting jobs.

After meeting for more than an hour with Obama, immigration advocates told reporters they want Schumer and Graham to at least release their blueprint before a planned March 21 demonstration at the Capitol, with a bill introduced in the Senate soon after.

The relatively short timetable for getting major legislation out of Congress in a midterm election year is one obstacle to getting a bill that combines tougher border enforcement with a pathway to legalization for the estimated 12 million people in the U.S. illegally.

"We had a very good discussion about the difficulties," said Eliseo Medina, executive vice president of the Service Employees International Union. "I think the president is well aware of it. So are we."

Medina said the groups also want to discuss the issue with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and House Republican leader John Boehner, R-Ohio.

Clarissa Martinez de Castro, director of immigration and national campaigns for the National Council of La Raza, said Obama told the groups he would make a statement with Schumer and Graham when they release the blueprint.

"It is undeniable that presidential leadership, greater presidential leadership is needed, and the president committed to doing that," she said.

Angelica Salas, director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, said the president agreed to help get a legislative framework out before the rally. She the groups also discussed enforcement.

"We want results," Salas said. "That's what we're going to be expecting in the next couple of weeks."

[KeithDrippingSprings]

Most of you xenophobic posters here have never been anywhere than where you were born. It is obvious that you have never had to deal with our government about anything other than paying your taxes. And then there are the racist.

I happen to know first hand how difficult the process is to emigrate in to the states legally. I also know a few statistics that you morons probably don't know. First only 40 percent of the illegal emigrants are Mexican or South American, 15 percent of the illegal emigrants are the result of impossible emigration laws and people that have over stayed their visa. Many of which are spouses of Americans who can't get their paperwork through. Which can take as long as five years. Are you willing to wait five years to be with your wife or husband? 40 percent of the illegals are europeans from all the countries that we like, and they can't even get their papers. Many of them are Canadians and all along our nothern border you can meet many swedes, Norwegians, and Germans that drove across the canadian border supposedly on a site seeing trip. But you know there is so much to see.

Any way quit being stupid and insist that your elected officials fix a system that doesn't work. Most of the reason they are illegal have nothing to do with them, it has to do with a system that is constantly screwed with by dishonest politicians that use these issues for their own advantage. Can you spell Tancredo?

[Lifeson2112]

"Most of the reason they are illegal have nothing to do with them". Um, what? This is a ridiculous thing to say. Of course it has to do with them. They know if they are here legally or not. That being the case, they are willingly breaking the law. They are criminals who are trespassing. I don't have a problem with anyone from anywhere coming to America. But I do have a problem with them doing it illegaly.

[1notrub11]

Have to agree with Lifeson.

I know legal immigrants who obeyed the rules and are ecstatic to be here. They continue to obey the laws, are constructive, contributive citizens and support the system. Shall we blow them and their legal effort to join this country? I say support the legal immigrants by upholding and enforcing the laws we have. Seems fair to me.

[newsworthy8]

Oh what the heck America, give these people a home, welfare, medical and jobs..give us Americans?????????????

[magnumdr]

All citizens are welcome here. It seems like our Government doesn't understand the word "illegal". when it comes to any person here illegally. I wondr if I can go to another Country and stay and work there just because I want to?

[TVO1CITW]

Just another political statement to divert the attention to something else. This is SMOKE and MIRRORS.

[squeakof2006]

Here's a reform: enforce the laws on the books. If you come here illegally, you get deported. No exceptions. If you come here illegally and pop a kid, the kid is ALSO an illegal and is also deported. No more anchor brats for us to pay for. If you were here illegally and found work, your employer pays $1 mill for hiring you. If they are a repeat offender, they lose their business license and are shut down. Not only do we need to start enforcing the laws of this country when it comes to immigration, we need stricter laws. Perhaps illegals should be treated as economic terrorists and be given the death penalty automatically for coming here without following the law. If you can't be trusted to follow the laws of immigration when you come, how can Americans trust you to follow our laws once you're here? It's not racist. It's putting American citizens' rights first and immigrant privileges second.

[CitizenMikeM]

Congress sees the future, and the future is Hispanic votes. That's all most, if not all, of the elected officials are concerned about--re-election. The only way to change that, short of a miracle, is to vote against any incumbent when they come up for election this year. They will get the message in short order.

[jt92202]

We got laws, ENFORCE THEM!

[olyboy]

Hey why not. After destroying any chance to get ahead in this country by spending us into the poorhouse, it won't matter.

[ivehadit9]

We don't have a broken system.

Our immigration laws have not been enforced for a long time. That's the problem. We still have a porous border and our elected officials have been unwilling to close the borders. We don't have a broken system.

[scottyusa]

Uh oh. Another broken system. I wonder what it will cost to fix this problem?

[ivehadit9]

by jayrh March 12, 2010 11:19 AM EST
Let's give the country to Mexico! I mean, isn't that essentially what we're talking about? It may not seem like it to some of the country but here in Texas, it seems like that's what is going on already.

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And you can thank your homeboy, George W., for making that possible.

He never bothered to seal our borders. All he cared about was following the immigration policy of Reagan.

If Jeb Bush decides to run in 2012, would you vote for him???

You and I know that he's gonna follow the immigration policies set forth by his older bro..