Immigration Reform not happening under Obama

[Faeelin]

Democrats face uphill climb on immigration
By Jared Allen - 10/14/09 06:04 AM ET
A small cadre of Democrats on Tuesday continued to push Congress to take up a major immigration reform bill even though the issue has all but evaporated from the majority's agenda.

At an afternoon rally in front of the Capitol, Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.), the chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus's immigration task force, said an immigration overhaul is long overdue.


"We simply cannot wait any longer for a bill that keeps our families together, protects our workers and allows a pathway to legalization for those who have earned it," Gutierrez said.



Hopes for action on legislation to create a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants have steadily eroded since President Barack


Obama twice delayed a White House immigration summit and his attention became all but monopolized on healthcare reform.
Gutierrez, who has questioned Obama's commitment to the issue, on Tuesday said: "It is time we had a workable plan making its way through Congress that recognizes the vast contributions of immigrants to this country and that honors the American Dream."


At the same time, however, even Gutierrez has yet to introduce a bill.


The Illinois Democrat has been intent on including as many Republican-friendly provisions as he can swallow in order to attract some GOP support, and the plan he outlined on Tuesday includes provisions for enhancing border security and employment verification systems, both of which he said will reduce illegal immigration.


But it remains unclear whether any Republicans will step out to support immigration reform after a 2007 bipartisan effort collapsed under the stress of conservative criticism.


While the issue no longer dominates the conservative airwaves, it remains a political lightning rod for many on the right. The now-infamous "You lie!" outburst of Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) came in response to Obama's pledge that no illegal immigrants will be covered under the government-funded portion of his healthcare plan.


For the time being, Democrats seem to be the more immovable obstacle.


Democratic Caucus Vice Chairman Xavier Becerra (Calif.), the only Hispanic member of the House leadership team, said the urgency for immigration reform hasn't subsided, but acknowledged that it has been overshadowed by more pressing matters.


"There's a daily urgency," Becerra said. "The stories continue to come out about children who are separated from their parents, people dislodged from their workplace that they've been in for over a decade ... The drumbeat hasn't diminished one bit."


He suggested a busy House calendar is part of the problem.


"What we have found," Becerra continued, "is that we're encountering calendar issues with some of these big, heavy, but very important policy issues that we're confronting ... It's just a matter of finding the space on the calendar when you deal with the economy, jobs and healthcare."


Yet the House schedule in recent weeks has shortened.


House leaders have slashed a number of Mondays off of the upcoming legislative calendar, and have long since abandoned Fridays as days when the House meets to consider legislation.


With the House unable to reach a consensus on its own approach to healthcare reform, and with a number of Democrats wanting to wait even longer for the Senate to finish its bill, leaders have been struggling to find enough reasons to keep members in town for four days at a time.


Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) said immigration reform could come after healthcare, but acknowledged the more likely possibility was for leaders to put it on next year's agenda.



Proponents of comprehensive immigration reform like Schakowsky and Gutierrez had pressed for action in Obama's first year, knowing that the emergence of an issue like immigration in an election year could make GOP support unattainable and also spell trouble for conservative Democrats.


Forced to scratch their original game plan, immigration reform backers are now hoping that Republicans in states with significant percentages of Latino voters will feel pressure to support, rather than shun, a pathway-to-citizenship bill, and that a reform bill will earn enough GOP support to offset the likely significant defections from Southern Democrats.


"We'll see how controversial it ends up being," Schakowsky said. "There are lots of Republicans in districts that, if not now, will soon be relying on citizen immigrants to reelect them."

I have mixed feelings about this; while I don't know what reform would entail, having millions of people in America illegally is clearly an unviable solution.

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/62961-democrats-face-uphill-climb-on-immigration

[citizen k]

while I don't know what reform would entail,

I think it should include some guest worker program.

[Martinus]

The choice here is the issue of efficiency. Either you think the benefits of having legal cheaper workforce outweigh the potential cost of encouraging more illegal immigration or you don't. What I find bizarre in the immigration debate is that some people seem to view this as a moral issue of principles and argue one should not recognize illegal aliens as legal not because it would be bad for the economy etc., but just because they broke the law.

[Darth Wagtaros]

Know what would be even more important? Information security reform so we don't see supposedly secure government servers hacked on a tri-weekly basis. 

[Eddie Teach]

The choice here is the issue of efficiency. Either you think the benefits of having legal cheaper workforce outweigh the potential cost of encouraging more illegal immigration or you don't. What I find bizarre in the immigration debate is that some people seem to view this as a moral issue of principles and argue one should not recognize illegal aliens as legal not because it would be bad for the economy etc., but just because they broke the law.

Well, it's also a question of what sort of people you want in. Those of us in the Anglosphere are pretty big on waiting our turn and not queue-jumping.

[Martinus]

The choice here is the issue of efficiency. Either you think the benefits of having legal cheaper workforce outweigh the potential cost of encouraging more illegal immigration or you don't. What I find bizarre in the immigration debate is that some people seem to view this as a moral issue of principles and argue one should not recognize illegal aliens as legal not because it would be bad for the economy etc., but just because they broke the law.

Well, it's also a question of what sort of people you want in. Those of us in the Anglosphere are pretty big on waiting our turn and not queue-jumping.

Only that it's never been so and preventing immigration is exactly the opposite of what made America great.

[DontSayBanana]

Only that it's never been so and preventing immigration is exactly the opposite of what made America great.

...If you were a WASP.  Look at Irish settlers, look at the transcontinental railroad, look at Ellis Island.  The United States has a pretty inglorious history where immigration is concerned.

[Faeelin]

Only that it's never been so and preventing immigration is exactly the opposite of what made America great.

Tell that to the Chinese, or Jews in the 1930s.

[Martinus]

Ok but that's my point. If anti-immigration sentiments happened in American history, they have always proven to be a mistake in retrospect. So why don't you fucking cut it out?

[The Brain]

Ok but that's my point. If anti-immigration sentiments happened in American history, they have always proven to be a mistake in retrospect.

Source?

[alfred russel]

[

I have mixed feelings about this; while I don't know what reform would entail, having millions of people in America illegally is clearly an unviable solution.

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/62961-democrats-face-uphill-climb-on-immigration

It is certainly viable--it just isn't ideal.

If you are pro-immigration there are a lot of solutions that could make the current situation better, but for several years it has been obvious that the status quo is the best that can be done. If Bush couldn't get through immigration reform, I don't see how Obama can.

[Tamas]

Only that it's never been so and preventing immigration is exactly the opposite of what made America great.

...If you were a WASP.  Look at Irish settlers, look at the transcontinental railroad, look at Ellis Island.  The United States has a pretty inglorious history where immigration is concerned.

In what way does that disapprove Marty? Your country was built by immigrants, which happened to be illegal most of the time, but a) you did let them in, and b) keeping them illegal was moronic

In short: give me my fuckin' working visa and let me prove myself

[Ed Anger]

In short: give me my fuckin' working visa and let me prove myself

We already have enough Irish Travellers. Thanks.

[Valmy]

Um...the people who arrived on Ellis Island and the Irish who built the transcontinental railroad were all legal immigrants. 

I think if they were illegals they probably would not be going through an immigrant processing center like Ellis Island.    Also how exactly was the 19th century immigration inglorious?  I mean it wasn't easy to come here and do well but I think it is what made America great.

[Valmy]

In short: give me my fuckin' working visa and let me prove myself

Nah we have a commitment to help the betterment of the Magyar lands.  You will stay and build a better Hungary.