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Obama To Address Immigration Reform in Speech This Morning

Posted July 1, 2010 by Ted Hesson
Categories: Federal Immigration Policy

President Obama will explain why our nation needs comprehensive immigration reform to fix our broken immigration system in a speech this morning from American University in Washington, DC. To stream the address online, click here.

The speech, scheduled for 10:45am EDT, will be Obama’s first on the issue of immigration. During his presidential campaign, he promised to tackle immigration reform in his first year in office, but Congress has been reluctant to tackle a contentious legislative package before November’s midterm congressional elections.

There have been some legislative developments. In April, Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Harry Reid (D-NV), and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) introduced a blueprint for reform that placed a strong focus on securing US borders, but also included an eventual path to citizenship for the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants in the country. See our breakdown of the bill here. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) has also introduced a bill in the House.

Obama’s decision to address immigration was likely influenced by pressure from advocates, as well as the ongoing controversy in Arizona regarding a draconian immigration law that is slated to be enacted there in less than a month. The president has publicly derided the law, calling it “misguided.”

Despite today’s speech, immigration experts have doubts about the feasibility of immigration reform passing this year, with November’s midterm congressional elections fast approaching:

The AP reports:

Prospects appear bleak for getting a bill to Obama’s desk before lawmakers leave town in the fall to campaign for re-election in November, and the president could be partly responsible for that. In April, he gave lawmakers some wiggle room when he said Congress may not have the appetite to deal with immigration this year following a tough legislative year in 2009.

The political reality is that to get a bill Obama needs Republican support, mostly in the Senate, where Democrats fall short of the 60 votes needed to overcome GOP stalling tactics. Obama has mentioned that lack of cross-party support in his recent comments on immigration.

“I’ve got to have some support from Republicans,” he said at a May news conference with visiting Mexican President Felipe Calderon.

Republicans have said that they want to further bolster border security before taking on immigration reform. Obama disagrees, according to the AP:

Some Republicans want to act first on measures to tighten security along the U.S.-Mexico border, but Obama disagrees with that approach. His administration has acted to improve border security, including increasing personnel and equipment along the border.

Obama recently ordered 1,200 National Guard troops to the border to boost security and asked Congress for an additional $600 million to support personnel and improve technology there. More than 500 of those Guard troops are to be sent to Arizona.

Here’s what the president’s senior adviser David Axelrod had to say about today’s speech, via email blast:

In a time of unprecedented challenges, President Obama has risen to meet them in unprecedented ways. And today, the President will be addressing yet another issue our nation has faced for decades—our broken immigration system. In a major speech at American University at 10:45 a.m. EDT, the President will make the clear case for comprehensive immigration reform.

The President believes that we must have a practical, common-sense approach that reflects our heritage and our history—as a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws. Government must be accountable for enforcing the law, businesses that seek unfair advantages over competitors must be accountable for exploiting the system, and those who break the law must be accountable as well.

Tags : blueprint, obama, obama immigration reform, schumer

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