Obama and immigration reform are a fiery pair

Arizona’s immigration law is settling in for the long haul, and President Obama doesn’t want immigration matters to be given the political cold shoulder by Senate Republicans. The Associated Press reports that in a recent speech at American University, President Obama called the immigration stance of 11 Republican senators into question. When they’d been with the president on immigration reform in the past, election-year back scratching has them blowing with the wind.

Source of article: President Obama wants immigration reform now by Personal Money Store

Obama wants immigration to stay a strong issue

Even though the president is not the biggest fan of the new Arizona law (he finds it to be “ill-conceived,” as he said lately), it is an effective tool that highlights just how much he wants to get done. The system in place is certainly broken, and new fences and agents won’t change that totally. Government should turn border security into a larger issue, says Obama. In turn, businesses should face heavy consequences for employing illegal immigrants. For the workers themselves, they should also shoulder the responsibility of making amends by working toward legal citizenship. Achieving these ends will require bipartisan report, which is why the president directed the razor’s edge of his comments at the weak-kneed Republicans in question.

The GOP can’t seem to muster a strong response

Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona says border security and immigration reform must happen in succession, rather than in a united movement. Other Republicans follow in this manner. Considering recent AP polls (where 57 percent of respondents stated that illegal immigration is a drain on society and 80 percent felt the federal government should do more to curb illegal immigration), maybe the hesitancy of politicians like Kyl is what’s ill-conceived.

Obama’s take on immigration policy

Obama endorses the immigration bill of Sens. Chuck Schumer and Lindsey Graham, who place the onus on the illegal immigrant to own up to their misdeeds. They’d catch up on their back taxes, pay fines and repay society via other community service, all the when working toward becoming citizens. Yet as the AP indicates, Graham has backed down like the GOP swing voters, fearing for his election-year political life.

SB 1070 is only the first step in the odyssey

Full accountability will be the key to effective immigration reform and border security. The president’s recent order for SB 1070 will bolster already existing border security forces, but a political message must be sent that The United States will not condone illegal immigration any longer. Action must be taken; standing pat will only prove that Obama and also the U.S. government really believes the broken immigration system is good for America.

Discover more about this topic here:

Newser.com

newser.com/article/d9gmcda00/obama-blames-political-posturing-for-deadlock-on-overhauling-immigration-laws.html