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August 11, 2009 in Nation/World
Obama puts immigration reform on hold
Overhaul must wait, he says
GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Locked in a health care debate that is claiming much of his energy, President Barack Obama conceded that a push to overhaul the nation’s immigration system will have to wait until 2010 and even then will prove a major political test.
Obama suggested it would be too ambitious to aim for passage of new immigration laws before the end of 2009, at a time when he will be confronting “a pretty big stack of bills.”
Speaking at the end of a two-day summit meeting of fellow North American leaders, Obama said, “Now, I’ve got a lot on my plate, and it’s very important for us to sequence these big initiatives in a way where they don’t all just crash at the same time.”
Obama said he won’t ignore immigration until 2010. His administration is meeting with lawmakers and coming up with a bill that would enjoy bipartisan support, so that “when we come back next year … we should be in a position to start acting.”
As a candidate, Obama said during a campaign stop in July 2008 he would make immigration “a top priority in my first year as president.”
Opponents of the existing immigration structure said they were dismayed by the timetable.
Frank Sharry, executive director of America’s Voice, an advocacy group, said he does not expect immigration reform to be as difficult as the administration seems to think it will be.
“I think we’d be smarter to move on it this year,” Sharry said. “There’s a real hunger on the part of the American public to make sure immigrants are legal, are working towards citizenship, are paying their taxes and not being used by bad-actor employers to undercut honest employers.”
Several Mexican officials also reacted with disappointment.
“This is not good news,” said Mexican Sen. Carlos Navarrete of the leftist Democratic Revolution Party. “However, we can hope that Latino Congress members who have taken on this initiative (of immigration reform) will maintain their activism in this matter.”
Obama predicted he would prevail in providing a road to citizenship for undocumented immigrants living in the United States.
“Ultimately, I think the American people want fairness,” said Obama, speaking on a stage alongside Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
Obama to honor Medal of Freedom recipients 
liarsinnews on August 11 at 6:30 a.m.
Let the trucks that are transporting drugs from Mexico continue to haul their freight, along with drug dealers easy access across the border. Seems to me, the problem is low on Obama`s priority list.
greyhound2 on August 11 at 8:17 a.m.
In the meantime, maybe they could start enforcing the laws which have already been on the books for years. That would be a real shock!
tinybobidaho on August 11 at 8:39 a.m.
Quote: “I think we’d be smarter to move on it this year,” Sharry said. “There’s a real hunger on the part of the American public to make sure immigrants are legal, are working towards citizenship, are paying their taxes and not being used by bad-actor employers to undercut honest employers.”
This is absolutely NOT true. The majority of the American people DO NOT want illegal aliens to be rewarded for their bad behavior by giving them amnesty. They do, however, want our laws enforced which would cause many illegal aliens to go home on their own. I really get a kick out of how people twist these polls to suit their agenda. Illegal aliens right here in Idaho already costs taxpayers $200 million a year. What are we going to do, folks, wait until it reaches a billion before we say “enough?” Senator Mike Jorgenson is presenting an enforcement bill this coming session that would make employers acountable for hiring illegal aliens. Watch for the town hall meetings about this coming up this fall around the state.
Ninch on August 11 at 9:31 a.m.
Another promise that Obama did not keep. Of course I thought he was overreaching (lying) during his campaign when he promised to deliver on a very long list of complex issues for his first term, let alone the first year.
BTW: Many undocumented workers have already returned home to both Mexico and Canada (yes, those light-skinned people from Canada come down here to work illegally for years). It is all about job availability which is limited now. Another factor has been the strength of US dollar compared to Mexican and Canadian currencies.
I really wonder how many Hispanics would have voted for Obama if they knew he was going to keep kicking the football on immigration down the field, whereas McCain has a long track record on such and would have proposed something amenable to most Americans.
Also wonder how many young adults would have voted for Obama if they knew that his health care reform meant mandated health insurance at higher premiums to pay for capping premiums for middle-aged Americans…. again McCain had much better ideas for health care reform, e.g. everyone getting a voucher to pay toward health insurance of their choice or to go toward what employer offers. Far cheaper and easier to administer.
tinybobidaho on August 11 at 1:40 p.m.
Ninch said: BTW: Many undocumented workers have already returned home to both Mexico and Canada (yes, those light-skinned people from Canada come down here to work illegally for years). It is all about job availability which is limited now. Another factor has been the strength of US dollar compared to Mexican and Canadian currencies.
We still have almost 8 million illegal aliens holding jobs in this country in violation of federal laws. With 14.5 Americans out of work, these jobs should be going to Americans first. Just to do that would bring the unemployment rate down. And many are NOT going home because many states still give illegal aliens social benefits, such as welfare and food stamps, especially if they have had a child here who is an automatic citizen, another issue that needs to be corrected.
eagleproducer on August 17 at 8:08 a.m.
What exactly was McCain’s “long track record” on immigration? Supporting the amnesty instituted under Reagan?
In his own state he didn’t support sanctions on employers who hire illegal aliens.
Here is something about “immigration reform” that I’m sure many people living in the northern tier of the U.S. don’t know: Near the Mexico border, on interstate freeways and U.S. Highways, there are in country checkpoints that stop every vehicle and ask the occupants about their citizenship, cargo and destination, all the while circling your vehicle with a drug sniffing dog. So U.S. citizens are being detained, within the borders of their country, and subjected to random searches by Customs and Border Patrol agents.
So you see what people will surrender to keep their xenophobia alive.