Obama makes another push for immigration reform
(CNN) – As senators continue to weigh comprehensive immigration reform, President Barack Obama made another call Saturday for an overhaul of the current system.
Speaking in his weekly address, Obama again endorsed a bipartisan Senate plan which would create a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants while bolstering security at the southern border. This week, an amendment was unveiled that further ramped up border security – an attempt to woo Republicans still deciding whether to support the larger bill.
Obama said Sunday the pending legislation would "be an important step toward fixing our broken immigration system," noting its border security provisions, penalties for employers who hire undocumented workers, and pathway to citizenship.
He also cited this week's report from the Congressional Budget Office, which predicted the immigration bill would reduce deficits by $175 billion over the first 10 years and by at least $700 billion in the second decade if it becomes law.
"According to this independent report, reforming our immigration system would reduce our deficits by almost a trillion dollars over the next two decades," Obama said. "And it will boost our economy by more than 5 percent, in part because of businesses created, investments made, and technologies invented by immigrants."
The CBO report also indicated the bill could reduce the number of unauthorized residents only by about 25% - a fact some Republicans have said proves the bill is ineffective.
"Now, the bill isn't perfect," Obama said in his address Saturday. "It's a compromise. Nobody is going to get everything they want – not Democrats, not Republicans, not me. But it's consistent with the principles that I and others have laid out for commonsense reform."
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With unemployment of American (real U6) in excess of 10%, now is not the time to "legalize" illegal immigrants. Now is the time to enforce the laws and go after the employers who hire them. It is unlikely that the "day laborer" who frequent the Home Depots etc are doing jobs that Americans can't and won't do-they're just doing them cheaper. The South Asian coming in to do work that Americans can't or won't do (ie computer programmers) are taking jobs from college grads or companies find "too expensive" to train. I could go on and on. Unless US Citizen unemployment is under 5% NO ONE should be given a visa and amnesty should never be give to people who broke our laws. ENFORCEMENT is the solution and it's so simple, even Joe Biden could figure it out.
Immigration reform my eye!!! This is just the new wing of the Obama political machine!
This is exactly where this article should be. Under Politics because that's what this bill is all about! This bill according to the CBO will lower wages and increase the unemployment rate. The Government is not enforcing border security now so what makes anyone think Obama or Napolitano have any desire to enforce it in the future?
Totally opposed to any reforms, without closing the border FIRST, and keeping it closed, with proof the flow of traffic has been stopped.
-–"they want"-not people of USA want. This is where we are with GOP and Tea party. Very pathetic to send them to an elected office. Either we got to be uneducated or bunch of Morans.... True.
"Laser-like" focus on employment and the economy = FAIL
Not until the border IS secure. This has been offered before and no one enforces the laws. This bill is another HOAX.
The future of the democrat liberal party is dependent on bringing as many ignorant people in to it as possible, of course Obozo is going to pimp for it. If people were not ignorant, he would not be president and Chuck Schumer would be a clerk in an electronics store in Times Square.