President Obama calls for immigration reform, including path to legalization for illegal immigrants

In his first major speech on the issue, President Obama on Thursday called for immigration reform legislation that would include a pathway to citizenship for the country's estimated 11 million illegal immigrants but said it could not happen without Republican support.  

“We can create a pathway for legal status that is fair and reflective of our values and works,” Obama said in his speech at American University. “The question now is do we have the courage and political will to pass a bill through Congress and finally get it done.

“I’m ready to move forward. But the fact is without bipartisan support we cannot solve this problem. We cannot pass comprehensive reform without Republican votes. That is a political and mathematical reality.”

To bolster his argument, Obama noted that the number of border patrol officers along the country’s Southwest border is greater than it’s ever been and that crime along the border and the number of illegal crossers is down.

“The border is more secure today than at any time in the last 20 years,” he said.

But Obama said that more needed to be done to improve enforcement. He also said that those who broke the law to enter the country must get right with the law by registering with the government and paying fines.

“Our country has a right to control its border and set laws for residency and citizenship,” he said.

But Obama was short on specifics for legislative reforms, including a timeline for action. So far no bill has been introduced in the Senate.

As recently as May, Obama said he merely wanted to "begin work" on immigration this year -- not complete a bill. But this week he has approached the issue with renewed urgency.

He spoke to immigration advocates at the White House on Monday. Latino lawmakers who have criticized the White House for neglecting immigration said they were pleased.

But advocates have heard assurances before. And with conservatives energized, angry and likely to storm to the polls, Democrats fear they will lose even more seats in Congress than a president's party typically does at the halfway point in his term.

In addition, if Republicans make major gains in November, an immigration overhaul could be impossible in 2011 or 2012.

While running for president, Obama pledged to act on immigration in 2009. That deadline came and went. But Obama won two-thirds of the Latino vote in 2008 and has no wish to alienate a growing constituency.

Raising the issue anew allows Obama to mollify his Latino supporters. But it also puts Republicans in a tough spot. Neither party can afford to write off a Latino community whose influence is growing.

-- Anna Gorman and Peter Nicholas

Photo: People gathered at the Los Angeles office of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles to hear President Obama speaking on the immigration issue. Credit: Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Conrad B.]

I am reluctant to believe that this administrations plan for some projected form of comprehensive immigration policy, will be in the best interest of Americans simply for two reasons.

1. How can we depend on them to do any enforcement, when there are enforcement tools already on the books that work, like e-verify that they refuse to mandate, even when unemployment is at a record high.

2. How can you suggest a new plan will work better than an old plan, that is not being implemented, I keep hearing the policy is broken, but Az. is having a great impact with just the threat of enforcing, so enforcement is only a ghost because of lack of action, not lack of effectiveness.

[Tony]

Just because our forefathers forcibly took land from Mexico, and made it part of the U.S. that does not mean Mexicans view coming into U.S. territory as breaking the law. They are coming to a land that was taken away from their forefathers, and in some cases should be theirs. Mexicans will always come to the U.S. because it's part of their history. Why do you think so many of our towns and streets have Spanish names?

[Draconifer]

The US is not exclusively America and I don't remember
seeing a real native American with blue eyes or blonde.

If the Latin Americans are not the real native Americans
why are most of the placenames in Spanish?
AngloAmericans are actually the real invaders as they
are now in Iraq stupidly.
The Latin Americans should get casino rights and have you wipe their floors.It will keep you from starting even more of your stupid wars.

[Bob]

Illegal immigration kills. No amnesty for criminal behavior.

[miguel costanzo]

I am Latino and I resent being told I'm in favor of illegal immigration. I am not. My family is here legally and have been the victims of crime twice by illegal aliens.

We support stronger law enforcement. Assuming all of us favor amnesty is just more sterotyping.

[AAAAANDRE]

There is already a "path" to legalization...
It's down below San Diego and leads to the US Embassy where they can apply just like everyone else.

[Ray]

Can we really afford giving illegals more FREE STUFF???

[Nora]

Justice always wins over bad laws.

[smith]

We need to re-install the back door and stop millions of uninvited guests from flopping in our house, filling the schools and hospitals, and remitting billions back to Mexico.

The last thing we need now is to "set a path" to citizenship that will simply encourage millions more to pack up and head North.

I don't want to deport kids who grew up here, parents that work here, but we feed, clothe, educate and treat millions more from another country and a poor one at that.

[common sense]

Nope they are not undocumented immigrants, they are criminals...

[philip]

That's right, deport 11 million people, I can't wait to see white trash americans lawning their gardens, wiping their elder bottoms, serving their food in restaurants, unloading trucks, picking oranges, building houses and working in factories for 8 dollars an hour. I want to see all that, start deportation now!

[Joe]

SECURE THE BORDER FIRST, STOP PLAYING POLITICS AND FINGER POINTING. THIS IS THE WORST PRESIDENT IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. HE WON'T DEFEND THE COUNTRY AND HAS WEAKED OUR NATION! WHAT EVER HIS SCHEME IS, HE NEEDS TO SECURE OUR COUNTRY FIRST AND FOREMOST. ITS NOT ABOUT WHAT OBAMA WANTS, ITS ABOUT WHAT THE MAJORITY OF AMERICANS WANT. HE DOES NOT OWN THE COUNTRY, THE AMERICAN PEOPLE DO!

[boochie]

The Dems passed the so-called healthcare reform w/out Republican support so why does he need their support on amnesty? I love how he blames the Republicans for everything he can't have yet there is a Dem president AND Dems control both houses! This guy is pathetic. Far-leftys say Bush was the worst president ever (ok he was pretty bad) but this clown is a close second!

[RWh]

No border crossers is the needed goal and NO MORE AMNESTIES or CHAIN IMMIGRATION. Write your representatives and tell them no more amnesties.

[Ben O.]

Legalization... Does this mean that he is admitting that there are "illegals" in the U.S. rather than the P.C. "undocumented."
This is a very desparate move to create democrats that will never fly.
We are a nation of laws, a Republic, and those that break the law must face the concequences.
One term president FOR SURE!

[zack]

If only we secured our border in 1492 none of you "free loaders" would of been here in the first place. I have a suggestion for you all; learn your history, your "US" History + get your facts straight. The highest number of welfare collectors are White. Latinos work, we don't stand in the corners looking to get a bill or cent from a cardboard advertisement, we stand looking for work. It wasn't "illegal immigrants" who took your job, your just too lazy. Face the fact. We have no fear at all, we'll be the majority any day now and soon you all will have died. Oh the horror! Start learning spanish!

[Mike C.]

This is about the only action you far-right wackos are willing to take, because while you piss and moan about immigration, people are going hungry without a home. Worry about unemployment extensions and financial reform first. The immigration issue is not even the tip of the iceberg for our country's financial woes. Do something about some of the other issues first, and quit overgeneralizing. Not all illegal immigration comes from Latin America. It scares me to think some have kids that you are programming with the same ethnically-biased views as yourself.

[John]

I just have to say that I have COMPLETELY had it with the National Government of these United States. Our elected officials owe US the apology.

It is so ridiculously dysfunctional that I move from angry to sad and back to angry almost daily now. I guess for me it is that the greatest majority of people know that we are in a "constant state" of being played by the people we have elected and entrusted with running this once Great Republic and various "media" factions they align with in order to feed us the daily brainwash of choice.

We need to TRULY Wakeup. American dreams have been shattered by greed and power mongering. Many of us fell into the pride, greed and/or sloth trap over the past few decades. We are riding on the edge of having foreign governments DICTATE what our government can or cannot do because of it. In America WE are the government. If we allow this to continue happening we will have foreign dictators in a very tangible way, ruling US, the citizens of the United States. That "Blessing of Liberty" will be lost. We stand on the verge of failing not only ourselves but "Our Posterity". The majority of citizens recognize and acknowledge the obvious dysfunctionality that exists within the body of elected officials. Every "CITIZEN" should understand what is truly at stake as well by now.

The "American Dream" could soon be lost yet we continue to allow politics, semantics, corporations, race cards and special interests control our elected officials. The citizens also fail unite with any real sense of urgency. We have to demand that they work for us the way our founding fathers clearly wanted us to do. When they don't we have to join together, call them out and get rid of them quickly when we "know" they are not looking out for the citizens priorities and interests. We have greater capacity than ever before to do this and we cannot afford to wait on election cycles to move. Our biggest threat TODAY comes from within. We must REVOLT! Stand united NOW!

We must also refuse to blindly follow ANY party and or leader who places politics, foreign interests or both above the interests of the citizens who elected them. It moves the country in the wrong direction.

I believe that immigration should be the U.S citizens united battleground. WHY?

We are a primarily a nation of descended legal immigrants. TRUE.

We are a nation of laws. TRUE.

We have an issue with racial division in this country. TRUE.

We have had great sacrifice to correct the injustices of slavery throughout or history. TRUE

We overcame the race issue by electing a mixed race president for the first time in our countries history. TRUE

We should NOT allow this President who we elected on the HOPE that he would be a bridge to unification divide us for political gain. We deserve whatever we get if we allow him to continue to "DUPE" us. PERIOD. Why is this important?

1. He needs to work hard for us and our posterity right now. He believes he is intellectually above us all and our system of government.

2. He was elected by variety U.S. citizens. Caucasion, Mixed-Race, Hispanic etc. He of all people should not be permitted to play the race card in this instance. It is not in the long term best interest of any individual American to allow this to happen. It will moves us in the wrong direction. TRUE?

3. We need to regain our bearings. We have to begin to insist that our officials make every attempt to enforce the laws we have before we allow them to "reform" the system for political convenience.

4. People are in this country ILLEGALLY. The officials KNOW this. We have legal citizens who are unemployed. We have ILLEGAL aliens who are working but not paying taxes. We have ILLEGAL aliens who are utilizing our government services for FREE.

5. Immigration and Border Control fall under the Department of Homeland Security which falls under the President. We need to hold HIM accountable for doing his job without EXCUSES. We should not allow him to debate holding others (Congress, Illegals, Governers, etc.) accountable until he takes accountability for securing the border with Mexico. If he continues to imply he can't we should impeach him and see if Joe Biden can. I am serious. The President is a great orator but the constant rhetoric with no results has become unbearable.

I have personally lost my home and farm, as well as the small business that my wife and I worked for years to establish. I was squashed financially in early 2008 by the large banks that this President and this congress chose to bailout. I am still in legal battles with two of the banks that accepted bailout money and were the first to repay in order to take bonuses. I am facing another hearing tomorrow against one of them and their lawyers. I will continue to fight as long as I am able. Which is probably not much longer.

I have several family members in the homebuilding industry that have faced the choices over the past two decades of hiring illegals, subcontractors who hire illegals, finding new careers or going bankrupt. All, I am proud to say have refrained from hiring the illegals. Supporting illegals working in this country IMMORAL and I would say it is TREASON for our elected officials to knowingly turn a blind eye given the fragile state of our economy today. I have watched as it has RUINED livelyhoods, men, families and corrupted an entire industry. We must demand that action is taken now and the political theatre closed.

How can we as Americans witness this all and continue to tolerate POLITICIANS masquerading as STATESMEN who support this by openly speaking of some path to citizenship for those who have participated in knowingly breaking our immigration laws and ruined the lives of U.S citizens in the process. Listen closely as wrongs are portrayed as rights. We have slippery ones leading. We CANNOT continue to allow this to happen.

I have two children about to reach adulthood. Forget ourselves... What about our posterity? Will we standby and watch as the American Dream of Life, Liberty and Pursuit of happiness is denied to our posterity by those we have mistakenly elected who say one thing but clearly hold contempt for our Republic. Do we have the courage to take a clear and genuinely united stand as Americans NOW as our wise forefathers did years ago? I pray that we can unite around the blessing that they acknowledged in The Constitution and stand as equals to demand our government work for the people NOW. This is what the forefathers intended for us and our posterity. Too many lives have been sacrificed to give up so easily on ideals that are so precious and so wise. Please pray, reflect, study, and use your own reason. I PRAY! Then email, call, march, protest vote and do whatever is necessary as a citizen to force action. Goodness still exists here and it is not too late!

[Michael]

“The border is more secure today than at any time in the last 20 years,” he said.

Yeah, but what happens if the economy improves? That's why immigration has gone down, no other reason. What we need is some new laws that illegal immigrants can ignore so they can stop ignoring the laws we now have.

Obama suggests paying a fine and become eligible to stay legally in the US. Or pay no fine and stay here illegally since there's no enforcement. Hmmm, wonder which a cash-strapped immigrant might choose?

[Bradford Talamon]

No sale Mr. President. The system of laws that governs immigration into the United States is not broken and it never has been. The only immigration reform that is needed is the political will to enforce our immigration laws.

Either you are an American citizen or you are not. If you are not, then you have to be here legally...in a manner that is consistent with our laws. If you are not here legally, you should be sent back to the country that you came from. No traffic tickets to show up later from ICE...if your are here illegally, when you are taken into custody, you should be put on a bus and sent back accross the border.

No reform necessary. No one...repeat NO ONE...has the right to just cross our borders with impunity simply because it is too inconvient for them to comply with our laws.

End of story.

[JohnRJ08]

My guess is that Obama is afraid that any immigration reform that comes out of the Senate will not be compassionate. It makes perfect sense that he doesn't want to push for reform knowing that it could end up alienating Hispanic-Americans if it is too draconian. He knows that the Republican Party sees this as potential win-win. If a reform bill is passed that doesn't provide a path to citizenship for illegals, then the Republicans can brag that they got tough reform while the Hispanic voters will blame Obama for the real impact of the law.

[Bruce]

Why is he all of sudden caring? Does he care about Americans and lack of jobs? No. Does he care that there is millions of gallons of crude leaking into the gulf? NO. But now he cares about legalizing millions of illegal aliens? Maybe something to do with the November elections? Throw out some fish food to get votes from the hispanics. Reagan screwed this nation with his amnesty, really screwed us. Now all the latinos care about is what THEY will get out of the politicians, not what is best for the country...With that thinking we will one day be Mexico and then where will they run to? Canada?

[Shy vi]

Obama's mouth is moving again. Someone is getting to go under the bus. He'll make this same plea over and over and no republicans are budging. Plus he's losing democrat backing. BO try listening to what we are saying No Amnesty, secure the borders, punish the illegal invaders.

[San Marcos Mom]

I agree with all of you. No reward for breaking the laws of this country. What a kick in the teeth for legal immigrants everywhere, especially those waiting in line! Our Immigration policies are NOT broken and do NOT need reform. Our laws are simply not enforced. I'd love to see every politician in favor of yet another amnesty tossed out of office. Obama needs to do his job and enforce the laws of our country, not reward illegal lawbreakers!

[America]

Obamao: “"In sum, the system is broken and everybody knows it"

The first time we really hear that the Fed Gov has ignored and minimized this problem to the complete detriment and disgust of the American people.

Gee, that may be what AZ graphically realized as its citizens were being murdered while ILLEGALS (not a racial issue – unless you want it to be) and drug lords run at will.

This is more timely political posturing – nothing more. They know a November to Remember is coming.

Here’s the proper perspective on becoming an American:

"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language.. And we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

~ Theodore Roosevelt 1907