WASHINGTON (CNN) - President Barack Obama is set to begin tackling the politically contentious issue of immigration Thursday, hosting a bipartisan group of congressmen at the White House for what the administration is calling the "launch of a policy conversation."
The meeting, which was delayed twice as economic issues took center stage, is designed to be an "honest discussion of issues where we can identify areas of agreement, and areas where we still have work to do," according to the White House.
The meeting comes less than a week after the president reiterated his commitment to passing comprehensive immigration reform that paves the way for citizenship for millions of undocumented workers.
On Friday, Obama told a Hispanic audience that the "fair, practical and promising way forward" is to strengthen border security, clarify the status of those who are here illegally, and require illegal immigrants to pay a penalty and taxes.
He also said undocumented workers should learn English and "go to the back of the line behind those who played by rules" in terms of applying for citizenship.
"The American people believe in immigration, but they also believe that we can't tolerate a situation where people come to the United States in violation of the law," Obama said in an address to the eighth annual National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast in Washington.
"Nor can we tolerate employers who exploit undocumented workers in order to bring down wages," he added.
While immigration reform is a top priority for the president's first term, the nation's continuing economic woes top his list of domestic priorities.
"The president has consistently said that he wants to start the (immigration) discussion later this year because our immigration system is broken," White House spokesman Nick Shapiro said earlier this year. "But the economy comes first."
In downplaying the immigration issue, the White House may also be acknowledging the political complexity associated with the issue. Former President George W. Bush made comprehensive immigration reform a priority in his second term, but failed to win congressional approval.
Similarly, the Obama White House may not yet have the support it needs in Congress to pass a comprehensive reform measure.
"Currently, where we sit, the math makes that more difficult than the discussion," White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Monday.
Several pro-immigration reform groups are nevertheless pushing the administration to make a stronger effort this year, in part because next year's mid-term elections could make major reform even more difficult.
Politically, Obama has been walking a fine line, trying to appease pro-amnesty Hispanic groups who backed him in the election while at the same time trying to win over broader public and congressional opinion by taking a tougher stance on enforcement.
Among other things, the administration earlier this year changed the focus of worksite enforcement raids away from targeting undocumented workers, and instead on employers who break immigration laws.
"The president has some time," said Mark Krikorian from the Center for Immigration Studies, a group that favors tighter immigration restrictions.
"I can't guess if he has six months or a year where he can keep kicking the can down the road before he pays a political price from one side or the another. But at some point his time runs out."
– CNN's Dan Lothian and Lisa Sylvester contributed to this report
From CNN Politics
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New stimulus plan... SEND THEM ALL BACK...It will save billions
This President really works.......I respect it.
The economy comes first! Thank you Mr. President for having your priorities in order.
Send them back. They got into this country illegally – they KNEW what they did was wrong. To allow them to stay just encourages others to come in.
I am not big on letting them stay. Let an America citizen break the law. They get no compasion at all. Why should illegal immigrants be any different?
You can't send them back, it would cost too much.
But...you CAN GO AFTER THE PEOPLE AND BUSINESSES THAT HIRE THEM.
No one "takes" a job...did you take your job, or was it GIVEN to you???
STOP GIVING ILLEGALS WORK...case closed!
I think immigration needs to be tightened....too many people unemployed...this tightening includes all nations...lot of cheating going on clainimg immigrations...
According to the Washington Post 1 out of every 15 school children in our primary and secondary schools are illegal immigrants. My kids go to a DC charter school, funding was cut for all charters in DC. Services are cut to my kids funded with my taxes so we can educate illegals. Obama wants to make the illegals legal because they are more likely to vote democratic. So his idea of change is screw the tax payers so he can get more votes in 2012. Guess what everyone when Obama makes them legal the vast majority of them will join the 48% of U.S. workers who pay no income tax under Obanamics. I don't blame people from the south of our border for wanting to come here for a better life but don't blame me for not wanting to pay for it.
No benefits No amnesty No citizenship For them or their children. They need to go home and come back legally!
This is a burning issue that no leader has been able to effectively solve. I do agree with this statement: "go to the back of the line behind those who played by rules" in terms of applying for citizenship". Do you know how many people have paid exhorbitant sums of money for the legal process and have been told that the wait time is some ten years. Good grief! By the time their number comes up, it won't be for that coveted prize.
So is he going to ask his aunt to go back to her country since she is here illegally.
Or does getting back in the line only apply to Hispanics?
As a LEGAL immigrant, I have patiently been waiting for 9 years for the INS to make a decision(still waiting). I pay taxes every year, I work, I have never got in trouble with the law, I graduated with by BS in Finance and Management, and I work for a Fortune 25 company in NY. My country would benefit from having me back, but I can't go back due to low standard of living and continuous political turmoil.....
My point is, it is time for legal immigrants to stop paying the price for the illegal ones. This needed to be addressed yesterday!
And for those who are against this, why would you want to send me back to my country?
Obama and the Democrats removed a provision in the $787,000,000,000 stimulus package that would have prohibited stimulus jobs from going to illegals. That tells me all I need to know about how the party in power feels about allowing criminals (aka undocumented workers) taking jobs from tax paying Americans and those immigrants who play by the rules.
We need to strengthen our boarder patrol. Since past presidents and congress have 'allowed' illegal immigrants to pile up in our country over the many years we now need to give a small window to document all illegal immigrants that are here today. Going forward, anyone found not documented, should be deported immediately.
Most importantly is eliminate the bad idea that allows an illegal person to give birth in American and the child automatically becomes an American. This needs to end Immediately.
How would it ever benefit black Americans to say racism has ended and there is now a level playing field?
We cannot afford to give amnesty to anyone here illegally. California is bankrupt and the illegals are a huge part of the reason. For anyone to come to this country and become a citizen there should be requirements. #1 prove you can support yourself and your family without public assistance and no public assistance should be available.
I hope he add's to that a very very heavy fine, possibly even jail time, for employers who hire illegal immigrants, and lower prices for immigration paperwork processing.
In the past, during a similar economic downturn, three presidents did the best idea. SEND THEM ALL BACK.
HOOVER, TRUMAN and IKE
Will our current president do the same? Are you kidding me? Get rid of all those possible votes with free health care? Not a chance.
Obama is an "empty suit". WAKE UP AMERICA!
What's it about illegals.... there has been so much of noise???
I am trying to become a immigrant legally and i am being given second grade treatment... the wait to become a LPR for people who have been following the rules and living legally is approximately 9 years.
I think people who have been following the law... playing by the rules... paying taxes... should be given amensty
[meant - The formal act of liberating someone]
BR,
McLuvin
If the government can't or wont enforce our established immigration laws then what good is government? If you were to ask most Americans that do not have extended illegals within their families, I would bet they would wish to send them packing. Illegal labor has destroyed our own American labor industries, it has kept American workers from ever getting fair pay increases, it has cost us billions and billions in social services and in the feeble attempts made by our Fed to keep them out. The only reason they have not been rounded up yet is due to the benefit they provide to the corporate giants and the potential voting block they would provide to a particular party. ENFORCE OUR LAWS before we have to do it ourselves.
Won't touch that with a ten foot pole who is he kidding!
Most of us in this country are the products of immigration. But for the most part, our ancestors did it legally. My grandparents waited their turn, learned English, worked hard when they came here, caused no trouble once they were here... all for the opportunity to provide a better life for themselves and their children.
I take exception to those who think it's perfectly OK to bypass what my ancestors had to go through.
The American people have already said that they DO NOT want comprehensive immigration reform. But here we have another president trying to force it down our throats. Illegal immigration is destroying the fabric of America. It will soon be time for the people to rise up in anger again have our voices heard. Secure the border and after it is secured crack down hard on ANYONE who employs an illegal alien. Aliens will be forced to leave America and the only way back in is legally. Give aliens a grace period and say that if you are caught in the country after that period, when caught, you will be deported and banned from the US for 10 years. The solution is an easy one. It's the politicians who make it hard.
I think anyone who takes the time to LEGALLY become a citizen of this country should be given first 'dibs' on citizenship, as well as first dibs on jobs and social programs that further this country. The current system is set up to reward illegal immigrants. They should not have access to social programs that benefit legal citizens of this country. It's counter productive and hypocritical...and encourages illegal immigration as opposed to curbing it.
I agree with the posters who believe that the best thing to do is punish the employers who employ illegal immigrants. If they can not find work, they will migrate else where, ILLEGALLY!
This is not mean, racist, or discriminatory, but fair under the law, which we are ALL beholden to!
here in San Diego, they bus kids to the border and they walk across the checkpoint in Tijuana to attend school so the school district can get the $35 per day student fee at taxpayers expense
If this admin does not pass a public option that 70% of Americans mandate. then they are toast and the GOP is in even deeper doodoo.
Any Politician granting amnesty will fore ever lose my vote
Well lets send them all home, with all my fellow brothers and sisters who think the U.S. is such a bad place to live....all 95% of you!
Yeah, go ahead and not put in my previous comments CNN. Just goes to show you that you truly are the Communist News Network.
McLuvin,
Sorry you seem to have had to deal with difficulties in becoming a citizen, but now you want a shortcut ?
Immigration Reform is just another word for amnesty. And, by the way, let's add another several million people that we have to fund for healthcare. Both the Democratic and Republican Party will be shocked one day when these illegals they are pandering to form their own political party and put them both out of business.
Obozo will pander to the hispanics.............spend a bunch of our money, and pick up even more fools who will vote dumocrap........what a country
Stealing Jobs, Free Health Care, Drain on our tax money.
Yadda Yadda Yadda.
So show me some real unbiased statistics. Not just exaggerated and outright false claims. Half of what is out there says the illegal hispanic population costs money, the other half says they save us money.
Everything seems to depend on who's ox is getting gored.
The Jobs they are 'stealing' are jobs you WON"T do, at any price.
If you want to place blame on low wages and a smaller job market, place it on outsourcing and giving work visas to LEGAL immigrants who get them ONLY because they can and will do the high tech work for peanuts.
Thanksgiving is a celebration of history's greatest failed immigration policy.
If illegals were not allowed to:
1) Take Jobs that unemployed American Citizens and Legal Immigrants could do
2) Fill up the emergency rooms of our hospitals
3) Fill up our classrooms
4) Live in apartments in cities where it is impossible to find a decent one (i.e. Boston, San Fran)
If just these 4 things were taken away from someone here illegally than the economy would be in better shape. Our children would have better educations necessary to compete in the world. People who belong here wouldn't be paying for services for those whose own country won't pay for.
So, in other words Barry, you mean "amnesty". Good idea since illegal immigrants in this country cost far, far more each year than the Iraq war costs us and the dumbocrats are always blathering on about that cost. Barry Hussein's "Destruction of America" tour continues.
First up for discussion – deportation of his aunt who is in this country illegally!
Any reform that gets passed needs to include a provision that will get all of the illegal immigrants out of California. Their suckling on the social services is running this state into the ground financially.
Polls show Americans do NOT support amnesty!! Yeah, like common sense or our opinion matters. Nancy Pelosi out there apologizing that she can't speak spanish to them. Democrats want to give them the world for their vote, they will keep on raising the taxes on the working class to fund everything. The middle class will soon become poverty level, we cannot afford this. Obama and his policies are quickly bankrupting this country. They are pushing everything through as fast as they can before they get booted out of office. Someone please take the checkbook out of the Democrats hands...........and soon!!
OBAMA SAYS – undocumented workers should learn English and "go to the back of the line behind those who played by rules" in terms of applying for citizenship.
TRANSLATION:
You don't have to leave the country...stay here, work, continue abusing our healthcare system, but EVENTUALLY we want you to go through citizenship classes.
And just WAIT until we pass Universal Healthcare!!!!
There are two ways to solve the illegal immigrant problem in America:
1. Put people who hire illegals in JAIL.
2. Require Americans on public assistance to take those "jobs Americans won't do". If the wages for those jobs don't match what the individual was getting on public assistance, then give them something to match the difference so they are not losing money by going to work.
We are bankrupt in California and our taxes have all been raised, but there is never a mention of cutting benefits to illegals. Politicians need to get serious and address the problem, not rape my pockets looking for a few more cents to take.
If it's sending illegal immigrants back home away from their american chlidren or the state taking care of the children of this illegals you don't care spending a Trillion doing that but if it's to reform health care to advantage yourself you cry like a baby and worry about the deficit and would like to keep the statut quo.
This shows a lot about the small minded people you are. You are failling to use your brain.