Obama Immigration speech
July 1st, 2010 • Headlines
Obama immigration speech. Obama delivers first major immigration speech. Here is the entire speech of Obama via AFP. Obama said he was ready to move forward and called for Republican support on an issue which enflames partisan rancor. However he did not offer new proposals or concessions that might help drive reform through Congress.
Few political observers believe that immigration reform has any chance before November’s mid-term elections, and many see Obama’s speech as an effort to appease crucial Hispanic voters, a crucial Democratic constituency.
“The politics of who is and who is not allowed to enter this country, and on what terms, has always been contentious,” Obama said in a speech at American University in Washington.
“That remains true today and it’s made worse by a failure of those of us in Washington to fix a broken immigration system.”
Obama bemoaned the fact that immigration reform had been “held hostage to political posturing and special interest wrangling” and the notion that tackling such an “emotional” issue was bad politics.
But in a partisan climate, amid a slow economic recovery and with unemployment at 9.7 percent, it seems unlikely lawmakers will rush to welcome 11 million illegal immigrants into the above board economy.
“I’m ready to move forward. The majority of Democrats are ready to move forward. And I believe the majority of Americans are ready to move forward,” Obama said, before warming to his political message.
“But the fact is, without bipartisan support, as we had just a few years ago, we cannot solve this problem.
“Reform that brings accountability to our immigration system cannot pass without Republican votes. That is the political and mathematical reality.”
The venue for Thursday’s speech was symbolic to Obama. It was at American University in 2008 that he received the endorsement of Democratic icon Senator Edward Kennedy — which gave a huge boost to his presidential primary campaign.
Kennedy was a long-time advocate of immigration reform, and a dominant player when a comprehensive bill on the issue fell short of passing during president George W. Bush’s second term.
The already tense political debate on the issue has become extra polarized in recent months, following the passage of an Arizona immigration law which critics say encourages racial profiling, and as congressional elections loom.
Obama said that law, and efforts by other states were a result of the vacuum left by the central government’s failure to tackle immigration reform.
A preliminary, bi-partisan effort to frame new comprehensive immigration legislation foundered in the Senate earlier this year.
That bill could have required undocumented immigrants to pass background checks and demonstrate they are proficient in English before they can earn lawful permanent residence and eventually citizenship.
Prospective employers would have to swipe the new Social Security cards through a machine to confirm the worker’s identity and immigration status.
Those who refused, or hired unauthorized workers would be made to pay “stiff fines” and face prison sentences for repeat offenses.
Obama argued that any reform would have to include effective strengthening of US borders. He said that businesses who hire illegal workers should also be held accountable.
And illegal immigrants should also pay a price for jumping the queue.
“They must be required to admit that they broke the law. They should be required to register, pay their taxes, pay a fine and learn English.
“They must get right with the law before they can get in line and earn their citizenship.” Via AFP