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WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama said Wednesday that conversations
between the White House and members of Congress have begun over immigration
reform, adding that lawmakers would introduce a bill "very soon" into his
second term.
"This has not historically been a partisan issue," he said in his first
press conference since being reelected. "We've had President Bush, John
McCain and others who have supported comprehensive immigration reform in the
past. So we need to seize the moment."
It is the most optimistic statement the president has made publicly to date
about the prospect of accomplishing immigration reform in the next four
years. That could be because Republican lawmakers have begun to speak openly
about addressing the subject after losing heavily among Latino voters
during the 2012 elections.
Earlier on Tuesday, Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.)
said that they were re-committing themselves to pushing for broad
immigration reform, in part as a political necessity for their party. Graham
confirmed to The Huffington Post that he was working alongside Sen. Chuck
Schumer (D-N.Y.) to introduce a bill soon after the new congressional
session begins that mimics the plan they laid out in 2010. Graham detailed
some of the components that he hoped to pursue shortly after finishing a
question-and-answer session at The Atlantic's Washington Ideas Forum.
"It is going to be economic-based future immigration, merit-based, economic
immigration in the future, firm and fair with the 12 million [undocumented
here]," he said. "But we've got to take chained migration and turn it to an
economic based immigration system."
Back on Capitol Hill, McCain told reporters that he expects any bill to
include visa reform so employers could more easily hire foreign workers they
need, but wouldn't speculate as to whether that provision would help more
Republicans to get on board.
"Everybody's always agreed that's part of immigration reform, and that was
in our Kennedy-McCain bill," he said, referring to the failed bill he
advanced with the late Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) in 2005 and again in 2007.
"I don't look at it that way. I just view it as an integral part of the
package."
"I think most of them are convinced that we need to take it up," he said of
his colleagues, adding that he hasn't asked them whether an immigration bill
should include a pathway to citizenship.
Those comments were echoed hours later by the president, who clearly wanted
the item addressed during his first post-election press conference. Choosing
a reporter from Telemundo to ask the third question, Obama responded by
laying out a broad framework that followed the lines of bipartisan plans in
the past.
"There are going to be a bunch of components to it, but I think whatever
process we have needs to make sure border security is strong, needs to deal
with employers effectively, needs to provide a pathway for the undocumented
here, needs to deal with the Dream Act kids," Obama said of his plan. "And I
think that's something that we can get done."
Obama gave himself some wiggle room by saying a bill must include a "pathway
to legal status" -- which could include citizenship but wouldn't
necessarily, allowing for potential compromise if Republicans insist the
plan should allow undocumented immigrants already in the United States to
become legal residents but not citizens.
He did use the word "citizenship" for undocumented young people who would be
eligible for the Dream Act, as well as for his June directive to block the
deportation of immigrants who entered the U.S. as children if they meet
certain criteria.
"One thing that I'm very clear about is that young people who are brought
here through no fault of their own, who have gone to school here, pledged
allegiance to our flag, who want to serve in our military, who want to go to
school and contribute to our society, that they shouldn't be under the
cloud of deportation, that we should give them every opportunity to earn
their citizenship," he said.
between the White House and members of Congress have begun over immigration
reform, adding that lawmakers would introduce a bill "very soon" into his
second term.
"This has not historically been a partisan issue," he said in his first
press conference since being reelected. "We've had President Bush, John
McCain and others who have supported comprehensive immigration reform in the
past. So we need to seize the moment."
It is the most optimistic statement the president has made publicly to date
about the prospect of accomplishing immigration reform in the next four
years. That could be because Republican lawmakers have begun to speak openly
about addressing the subject after losing heavily among Latino voters
during the 2012 elections.
Earlier on Tuesday, Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.)
said that they were re-committing themselves to pushing for broad
immigration reform, in part as a political necessity for their party. Graham
confirmed to The Huffington Post that he was working alongside Sen. Chuck
Schumer (D-N.Y.) to introduce a bill soon after the new congressional
session begins that mimics the plan they laid out in 2010. Graham detailed
some of the components that he hoped to pursue shortly after finishing a
question-and-answer session at The Atlantic's Washington Ideas Forum.
"It is going to be economic-based future immigration, merit-based, economic
immigration in the future, firm and fair with the 12 million [undocumented
here]," he said. "But we've got to take chained migration and turn it to an
economic based immigration system."
Back on Capitol Hill, McCain told reporters that he expects any bill to
include visa reform so employers could more easily hire foreign workers they
need, but wouldn't speculate as to whether that provision would help more
Republicans to get on board.
"Everybody's always agreed that's part of immigration reform, and that was
in our Kennedy-McCain bill," he said, referring to the failed bill he
advanced with the late Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) in 2005 and again in 2007.
"I don't look at it that way. I just view it as an integral part of the
package."
"I think most of them are convinced that we need to take it up," he said of
his colleagues, adding that he hasn't asked them whether an immigration bill
should include a pathway to citizenship.
Those comments were echoed hours later by the president, who clearly wanted
the item addressed during his first post-election press conference. Choosing
a reporter from Telemundo to ask the third question, Obama responded by
laying out a broad framework that followed the lines of bipartisan plans in
the past.
"There are going to be a bunch of components to it, but I think whatever
process we have needs to make sure border security is strong, needs to deal
with employers effectively, needs to provide a pathway for the undocumented
here, needs to deal with the Dream Act kids," Obama said of his plan. "And I
think that's something that we can get done."
Obama gave himself some wiggle room by saying a bill must include a "pathway
to legal status" -- which could include citizenship but wouldn't
necessarily, allowing for potential compromise if Republicans insist the
plan should allow undocumented immigrants already in the United States to
become legal residents but not citizens.
He did use the word "citizenship" for undocumented young people who would be
eligible for the Dream Act, as well as for his June directive to block the
deportation of immigrants who entered the U.S. as children if they meet
certain criteria.
"One thing that I'm very clear about is that young people who are brought
here through no fault of their own, who have gone to school here, pledged
allegiance to our flag, who want to serve in our military, who want to go to
school and contribute to our society, that they shouldn't be under the
cloud of deportation, that we should give them every opportunity to earn
their citizenship," he said.
