Obama Official: Immigration Reform Will Be Introduced Once Votes to Pass It Are Assured
The Obama administration will push for immigration reform in Congress once Democrats are certain they have enough votes to pass it, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Tuesday in Washington.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. (Photo: Mike Disharoon/Flickr)
According to the Spanish-language newspaper La Opinión, Salazar attended an event organized by the National Association of Hispanic Publications, where he said the reform bill “will be introduced when there is certainty as to the availability of the necessary votes for it to be approved,” reporter Antonieta Cádiz wrote.
With immigration becoming an increasingly controversial issue and the Democrats’ health care reform plan about to reach the Senate floor for a contentious debate, the statement would seem to place some doubt on when (or even whether) the administration-backed bill being prepared by Sen. Charles Schumer will actually be introduced.
At the same time, Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D- Illinios), who’s authoring a bill of his own to be introduced in the House, warned Tuesday that there will be a short window for immigration reform to be debated –and eventually passed– after the approval of the health care bill and before the start of campaigning for the 2010 Congressional election.
La Opinión reported that Salazar said he has participated in meetings to analyze the political viability of the legislation, together with Labor Secretary Hilda Solis and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, according to the report.
“We’ve worked really hard, but this is an issue that depends on time and on how we deal with the important points in the agenda… It can be expected that the administration will not withdraw its support from reform”, he said, according to a quote in Spanish.
“But it is essential that we don’t fail this time, that we are sure that this will happen”, he added.
After a health care debate that promises to be highly fractious, it remains to be seen how much political stamina the administration and Democratic leaders in Congress have to push another highly controversial issue — and one that has been manipulated by both parties in previous elections. Some Democrats have been wary of even talking about immigration reform while campaigning, although results from the November 2008 vote showed that a great majority of hardliners on the issue lost their races.
Gutierrez appeared Tuesday on the NPR show Tell Me More, where he said the window to pass immigration reform next year “is very small.”
He explained,
“…you do health care, you get the energy bill passed in the House and the Senate. Get both of those bills signed by the president. That should bring us to about the beginning of February and that’s the window, I think you have that window of February and March.
“And once you go into April, you really have a diminishing opportunity because you do have the midterm elections getting closer and closer.”
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Trackbacks
- Immigration Reform Will Be Introduced Once Votes to Pass It Are Assured - Illegal Immigration - City-Data Forum
- The Dustin Inman Society Blog » Small window for amensty this year - if it is what Americans want ( it isn’t) why not make it THE 2010 election issue?
- Napolitano Insists on Obama’s Commitment to Pass Immigration Reform in 2010 | Feet in 2 Worlds, immigration news
- New York Congress Members Promise to Push for Immigration Reform | Feet in 2 Worlds, immigration news
Ah- I just love the ripening of the latent bigotry -
Wise up all you Lou Dobb Jrs.
Illegal immigrants will keep coming no matter what
(believe me I know first hand)so you better build your grand reform around that fact-
and for all you anti- reform dreamers..Live your own friggin life and let the rest of America do the same without your typical paranoid, conservative asses trying to manipulate them
Immigration reform? What a joke. Enforce the laws we have on the books now, no benefits for illeagals, and deport illegals without delay.
There will be no pathway to Citizenship as only a very small percentage would assimilate enough to qualify. Learn English, prove you have a job and pay a large fine? No way.
Parts of the Southwest already resemble old Mexico in just the last 10 years. Is this the America we want? How many day laborers do we really need? Importing poverty is not raising the bars for the rest of Americans as we are the ones writing the checks. Legalizing these people opens up every avenue of Social Services.
undocumenteds are human. they’re all created by GOD. the earth is GOD’s creation so why put all the burdens in them. they are here to seek a better life. don’t judge them. give them a chance. if they become legal residents and they do good, keep them but illegal who turned legal who do bad things, with no question deport them with their own money. isn’t this simple?>>>set a bar for them. just tell them, ” ok we will give you a chance but one wrong move or two you’re done. ..Here’s another way in which the government can make use of these 12 million undocumented…..most of these people cannot buy their homes,cars.etc..etc because of their status. now,this might be one of the many solutions president obama should consider. these people have money in the first place.>>>here’s a simple computation that this government can make money out from them(undocumented)
12million x $3500>immigration processing fee=
12million x $25> drivers license=
12million x $10,000> car =
12million x $200,000> housing=
12million x $15> daily expenses
12million x gas bill
12million x electric bill
12million x water bill
12million x phone bill
12million xxxxxx………..see! these are only rough estimation. how much tax this government can get from this figures. a lot.most of these undocumented are descent and hardworking. yo, give ‘em a chance ,yo. let them live in the ‘hood,brother.
I support immigration reform!
please lets stop with the ignorance immigrants are hard working people and are ready to pay their do’s and lets not blame the crimes on immigrants whether your an immigrant or an american they all commit crime
s and its not because of them being immigrants or not it because their stupid. look i have friend thats an immigrant shes been here for 15 years shes been here ever since she was 8 or 9 her parents got her here and now her parents are legal because of the clinton bill although she could have been legalize through her parents but she had already turned 21 yrs old and it broke her heart ive known my friend and her parents for a very long time and they’ve done evrything right even before they got legal untill youve known an immigrant personally or friends with one please dont judge. trust me they dont want to take anything from anyone. immigrants could really be a part of helping the U.S Economy because some immigrants do have money because they work so hard and save so much for when they become legal trust me they want to help and pay their do’s.
If immigration law was not broken and would not take more than 10 + years to get family to immigrate and be with them, Most people would not break the law…