Memo to the President: Yes, Move Immigration Reform This Year

On June 25th, President Obama is convening a bi-partisan meeting to discuss the prospects for moving on comprehensive immigration reform later this year. If he asked me about the politics of immigration reform in this economic climate, this is the memo I would send to him:

Mr. President, with so many challenges facing America, is it too much to tackle immigration reform this year?

Reform advocates point to the pledge you made on the campaign trail, to make immigration reform a "top priority in my first year." Yet skeptics argue that the economic crisis makes your campaign promise moot. They believe you should delay immigration legislation and focus on the economy and your other legislative priorities. While addressing immigration may seem to be heaping another issue onto an already-full plate of priorities, there are four compelling reasons for you to move forward with reform this year.

First, the public support for immigration reform is growing stronger notwithstanding the conventional wisdom advanced by the political class. For a big majority of Americans, the failure to address immigration is a symbol of Washington's failure to confront and solve tough problems. Comprehensive immigration reform - the key elements of which require strong enforcement at the borders and in the workplace, coupled with a mechanism for unauthorized immigrants to get legal, learn English and pay taxes - is viewed by the majority of Americans as the most practical approach to addressing this complicated problem.

And in this economic downturn, voters are actually more supportive of immigration reform than at any other time. As pollster Celinda Lake tells it, "voters are very focused on finding solutions to our problems. They support comprehensive immigration reform as a practical, common-sense solution and have no patience for politicians who want to point fingers and score points rather than fix the problem."

The evidence for this point of view is growing. A Washington Post/ABC News poll showed 61% support for giving undocumented immigrants the right to live in the U.S. "if they pay a fine and meet other requirements," a 12% increase since 2007. The Pew Research Center recently found that 63% of respondents supported a pathway to citizenship, up 5% from 2007.

In polling conducted in May by Pete Brodnitz of Benenson Strategies for the organization I direct, 64% of voters support comprehensive immigration reform before it is described, and a whopping 86% support comprehensive reform after it is described. In response to a head-to-head question that pits comprehensive reform against the enforcement-only approach favored by most Republicans and some conservative Democrats, comprehensive wins 67% to 31%. Among those voters who describe themselves as undecided for the 2010 Congressional elections, they not only favor comprehensive reform at the same levels as Democratic voters, by a 69% - 28% they want their elected leaders to tackle immigration reform this year.

The second reason you should move forward is that your commitment to move on immigration reform has created enormous expectations in the Latino community. Your campaign promise was a galvanizing factor in motivating Latinos - especially Latino immigrant voters - to turn out in record numbers in 2008 and swing decisively to the Democratic column. These new voters helped flip at least four states that voted for George W. Bush in 2004 to Obama states in 2008 (Florida, Colorado, New Mexico, and Nevada).

While some like to point out that polls of Hispanics put issues related to the economy as higher on the priority list than immigration reform, the fact is that Immigration reform is a defining issue for Latinos the way civil rights is for many African-American voters, choice is for many female voters, and Israel is for many Jewish voters. For example, in a recent poll of Latino voters conducted by Bendixen and Associates on behalf of America's Voice, 82% called the issue personally important and 87% said they would not consider voting for a Congressional candidate who favors forcing most of those in the U.S. illegally to leave the country. Moreover, expectations are sky-high: three out of four Latino voters expect you to keep your pledge to move on immigration reform in the first year.

The third reason you should move forward is that fixing immigration is a critical component of fixing the economy. Immigration reform will benefit American taxpayers by requiring workers and their employers to get legal and comply with their tax obligations; it will benefit American workers whose wages and working conditions are depressed by unscrupulous employers who exploit unauthorized workers; and it will benefit law-abiding employers currently undercut by bad-actor competitors by significantly reducing the incentive to underpay workers and pay them off the books in order to win business. As for increased revenues, get this: a Congressional Budget Office study of a legalization component included in the 2006 McCain-Kennedy bill projected increased revenues over 10 years totaling $66 billion. Not bad at a time of squeezed budgets.

Finally, the moral stakes are high and getting higher. How we as a nation deal with illegal immigration has become a defining moral issue for our nation. Ultimately, the question we face is this: are we going to allow hardliners who want nothing less than the expulsion of millions of immigrant families already living in our communities to dominate the debate? Or are we going to live up to our tradition as both a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws and write a new chapter in the American story of how including "them" makes for a stronger "us?"

Immigration reform will not be easy, and yet, this is the kind of big issue that led you to proclaim the fierce urgency of now and run for President.

This is your kind of fight, Mr. President. History is calling.

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Comments

[getsix]

as soon as the illegals get legal there employers will no longer need them the only reason they are here is cheep labor and as soon as that is no longer an option they will fire and replace with those willing to work for less so now you have 12 or so million leagal unemployed added to the millions we have already

[getsix]

if you want polls read this blog there are for more against amnesty then for this is not a Conservative blog so its a good indicator of how the population feels i never go by polls to many ways to fix them to say anything you need them to say

[getsix]

who is sick of hearing out government and media tell us what the American people want its a lie they know it the fabricate polls they fabricate news if a million people take to the streets protesting against there agenda then its not reported or its reported with there arrogant s but if 100 protest to something they support it turns into, the entire population is in support of them i never new our media would ever be a tool for the government reporting propaganda but its sad but true they want to get rid of the center vote dem and rep replace it with only the left to do this they will import the votes with free heath care a open border free college to illegals they can get it

[Brittanicus]

Not identifying E-Verify as the perfect tool to extract illegal immigrants from the workplace, doesn't wash with the American worker anymore? The once great US Chamber of Commerce, compliant with the ACLU, and other anti-sovereignty factions, have pushed our soft politicians to null E-Verify. Sen. Harry Reid(D-NV), House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) have lost a great deal of public loyalty, because between them, they manufactured excuses to undermine any new law that enforced our weak immigration laws? Chief of Homeland Security is Napolitano who joined the other pathetic Senators, to stealthily direct ICE not to implement large immigration raids anymore. This has also been noticed by the public audience in the months since inheriting the office from Chertoff. By no means are these the legislators who are stating they are supporting E-Verify, or any other immigration law, but in actual fact voting against it.

[Brittanicus]

Their attitude shows up distinctly when they keep voting E-Verify being delayed for Federal contractors who of all people should be using it. It displays their complete apathetic when politicians allow 300.000 illegal workers, making use of Stimulus money in the construction industry. The 1986 Immigration Act has never been enforced, it has always been fully jeopardized and now the politicians want to replace it, by enacting another AMNESTY. Amendments to the 1986 Simpson/Mazzoli bill is all that's required to add strength, to our border security and internal enforcement.

Even any new health care for the American people is compromised by the illegal alien pestilence, because a great portion of the uninsured in our nation are these people heading in large numbers to emergency hospitals. In the decades since Europe saw the ingress of illegal immigrants into their countries, they have seen medical care sink in the quality of service, including rationing. Here in America health care has also been disparaged by added forced mandated laws, that illegal people must be attended to, for even the common cold--which becomes yet another financial impediment to the legal population. It's just sheer madness on the part of the open border globalists, to keep feeding the country with millions of cheap labor. The burden for these services has never been financially appropriated from the businesses that employ foreign labor, but--ALWAYS--from the US taxpayer.

[Brittanicus]

We have been brain-washed by the media and government that there are only 11 million illegal people who have violated our laws, whoever this is far from the truth. We can not afford for another AMNESTY to succeed, and must fight back tooth and nail? It's enactment would terrify the most conservative of financial analysts, of even larger obligation on every taxpayer. Of all the immigration tools at our disposal, we must not let our government exempt E-Verify from our ordinance. It should mandated in every human resources office that--ALL ERRORS-- can be reconciled, after being hired at the Social Security agencies.

President Obama has adamantly promised illegal aliens who knew the consequences of violating our border, a path to citizenship. Sorry! But the costs of this travesty cannot be even imagined. This is absolutely "Taxation without Representation" for like many laws that quietly fall upon the American taxpayer it is ethically wrong. Just addressing the OVERPOPULATION concept should be enough for--THE PEOPLE--to bombard your Senators and Congressman. Facts, statistics at NUMBERSUSA.

[Panola60]

Pres. Obama meets today (6/25) with a bi-partisan group from Congress to "jump-start" plans to pass a giant amnesty for 12-20 million illegal aliens and their extended families, another 48-80 million.

Why, for heaven's sake, would Obama and Congress want to makes things even worse on America's 14 million unemployed (which is actually much larger including those whose benefits ran out, etc.)?

Stop the amnesty - Join NumbersUSA.com

Call the White House today!

Those who come here illegally, steal our IDs and ignore our laws have already demonstrated they lack the honesty and decency to ever become American citizens.

a.) Enforce the existing immigration laws.
b.) Secure the border.
c.) Don't hire illegal aliens.
d.) No anchor babies.
e.) Deportation through attrition.

[indespat]

While I respectfully acknowledge that this Administration has multi-tasked quite well, the single most important priority must be Health Care inclusive of a Public Health Care Option.

It is a travesty that we must continually remind our Democratic representatives what the voters want, especially those so called "centrists" who, on this issue, only represent the minority, plus of course their financial contributors. To inject Immigration into today's political mix only provides an outlet to stall Health Care. Thus, Immigration must wait until a comprehensive Health Care bill is signed into law.

I would submit that if a Health Care law is signed that does not include a Public Health Care Option, our President will have failed to deliver on the number one election issue, and our Democratic Congress will have failed their constituents.

[hjo4]

We heard this in 1986 and we were lied to then and we're being lied to now. The President and Congress know if he passes "immigration reform" he then looses the next elections. The American people want current immigration laws enforced as they should be. Let's not kid each other, if we granted amnesty to those here now by years end we'll have another million or more and the same illegal alien sympathizers today will begin making demands that we turn a "blind eye" to them and grant amnesty too along with their family . We cannot support a system that says we'll if you sneak into America, avoid being caught within due time if you pay back taxes and learn English we'll allow you to stay. It's wrong against our laws and principals of being the United States, we are a nation of laws that must be applied and enforced on all on this soil. Illegal aliens only have themselves to blame and should receive no consideration. Over one million people immigrate into America annually and they're not complaining, why change the law to accommodate those who'll always violate it. That doesn't make sense and neither does "immigration reform".

[tlwinslow]

Amnesty is okay, but it's a temporary fix not a permanent solution.

The age-old pesky U.S.-Mexic­o border problem has taxed the resources of both countries, led to long lists of injustices, and appears to be heading only for worse troubles in the future. Guess what? The border problem can never be solved. Why? Because the border IS the problem! It's time for a paradigm change.

Never fear, a satisfying, comprehensive solution is within reach: the Megamerge Dissolution Solution. Simply dissolve the border along with the failed Mexican government, and megamerge the two countries under U.S. law, with mass free 2-way migration eventually equalizing the development and opportunities permanently, with justice and without racism, and without threatening U.S. sovereignty or basic principles.

For details, Google "Megamerge Dissolution Solution".

[StokeyBob]

Did you ever wonder where the money for things like the subversion of the world’s immigration laws may come from?

It seems to me as long as we allow people to print up fiat money there will be no place in the world where freedom can flourish.

If the Globalist oppose your efforts, paid for with real hard earned money, all they have to do is fire up the presses and shovel the money to any group that will oppose you.

Not only that but it seems they do it in such a way that the money to achieve THEIR goals is borrowed from them. Then we pay interest to a group outside of our country, like the Federal Reserve, on the creation and borrowing of OUR OWN fiat money.

IN ESSENCE THEY BEAT US WITH OUR OWN STICK!

[StokeyBob]

I think they should uphold the rule of law and govern by the rules set forth by the United States Constitution, as they swore they would with their oaths of office.

Back in the sixties the government came into the schools and brainwashed us with the idea we needed to control the population because it was rising so fast. They said the roads would become crowded and we would run out of things like water.

They unleashed abortions, birth control pills, and other forms of Family Planning.

To allow the country to be over run with the criminals in businesses illegal labor while the criminals in the government aid and abet the invasion is a travesty against mankind.

They have seen to it our children were killed to control the population at the same time allowing the world to export their population problems here.

What about our sacrifices, many made against our will?

P.S. We still haven't recovered from the last time the criminals in business were allowed to bring in their slaves.

[RobinH]

The law states if you are in the U.S. illegally you are to be deported. Illegal aliens are taking American citizens' jobs in many fields - construction, farm work, factory, fast food, etc. If illegal aliens were deported, America's unemployment rate would plummet.

[noneIn2008]

Saul Alinsky notes the life of the community organizer is continuing to bring up new issues: "Multiple issues mean constant action and life". They keep throwing in additional programs to distract the masses from prior issues and current problems. The classic shell game.

[CalexenderJ]

There's two separate issues: is immigration reform necessary? And Should Obama concentrate on it this year?

The answer to the first is obviously YES. Immigration reform is past due. The answer to the second, I think is no. Obama is proposing two (or three) sets of really complex legislation this year. Legislation that literally may affect the U.S. economy for decades. Health care reform and energy reform (and to a lesser degree financial regulation reform). These issues really complex. Congress needs to take the time to get these issues right. Immigration reform should take place next year.