Spurring on what he calls "a reform movement gathering strength from coast to coast," President Barack Obama said Tuesday that America must overhaul its immigration system.
"We need all the talent we can get. Businesses are demanding that Washington solve the immigration problem," Obama told a cheering audience in the border city of El Paso, Texas.
Though stopping short of specifics, the president called for "comprehensive reform," which, in the past, has stood for amnesty-style programs that would put illegal aliens on a path to citizenship.
"After decades of inaction, we have 11 million undocumented immigrants in this country. Regardless of how they came, the overwhelming majority are just trying to earn a living and provide for their families," Obama said.
In broad strokes, he declared, "Those who are here illegally have a responsibility.They have to admit that they broke the law, pay their taxes, pay a fine, and learn English. And they have to undergo background checks and a lengthy process before they can get in line for legalization."
The president boasted that his administration has done its part by increasing enforcement at the borders and in the workplace.
He reported that deportations are up and that border apprehensions are down -- though critics said that decrease simply suggests that more illegals are getting through.
Acknowledging that immigration remains a "complex issue," the president urged his audience to get engaged in the congressional battle to come. And if that battle is joined, it is certain to be a spirited one on the eve of the 2012 elections.
On Capitol Hill, Obama's call to "fix the broken immigration system" is fraught with political peril. At a time of high unemployment, any effort to legalize undocumented workers invites stiff resistance from voters -- including his blue-collar base.
The president tried to blunt those concerns, calling immigration reform an effort to "strengthen the middle class by tackling the underground economy" of low-wage illegal workers.
But not once in his half-hour address did Obama mention the federal E-Verify employment screening tool. And he took liberties with the facts by declaring that the southwest border fence "is basically complete."
Recent attempts to "regularize" America's undocumented work force have foundered as voters viewed them as little more than a partisan play for votes from Hispanics, who constitute the nation's largest cohort of illegal immigrants. Public skepticism remains high amid the nation's ongoing economic slump, with opinion polls showing consistent opposition to any reforms that smack of amnesty.
By taking another run at the contentious immigration issue, Obama puts his party in a bind far tighter than the one that squeezed Republicans at the Florida Legislature. While the GOP splintered over immigration legislation in Tallahassee, Democrats in Washington could face broad public outrage for supporting "reforms" that reward illegal aliens with a path to citizenship.
George Fuller, an immigration-control activist in Florida, called Obama's speech "tired old rhetoric."
"Comprehensive immigration reform is as worn a phrase as racial profiling. How many more amnesties than the seven we have done in the past 25 years?" Fuller said.
Other border-control advocates were disappointed that the president didn't even bother to pay lip service to shutting off social-welfare benefits for illegal aliens. Pointing to tough laws in Arizona, enforcement groups, along with economists, say that denying jobs and benefits to illegal immigrants can lead to self-deportation.
Census Bureau data show that 57 percent of immigrant-headed households (legal and illegal) use at least one welfare program (versus 39 percent for native households). Illegal residents can obtain benefits because few agencies require recipients to provide proof of citizenship.
Already, the rhetoric is ramping up for immigration "reform" by any means necessary.
Speaking at a South Bend, Ind., church Sunday, U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez quoted Obama from 2008, talking about the need to change an immigration system where communities are "terrorized" by immigration raids and where "nursing mothers are torn from their babies."
Worried that the GOP-controlled House will block reform, the Illinois Democrat said he's looking for the president to use "discretionary powers" to enact changes.
To facilitate the administration's immigration agenda, the White House announced that it had organized 30 "community conversations" around the country to discuss and strategize on the issue.
Participants include "stakeholders" ranging from business groups to Hispanic activists to the "faith" community -- the three special interests that combined to kill immigration legislation in Tallahassee this year.
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Contact Kenric Ward at kward@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 801-5341.
