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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- 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
This means you can forget about immigration reform under Obama because the Democrats will never have enough votes to pass it, especially not in an election year.
Obama is all talk, no action. I’ve had enough of his lies that immigration reform is a priority. He told us he would address immigration reform in his first year of office in order to win hispanic voters, and once elected he turned his back on the issue.
Enough of the empty promises Mr. President. It is put up or shut up time.
It also means Democrats will loose substantially in the 2010 congressional elections. Obama manipulated Hispanics for their votes with immigration reform just as Bush used the Christian right.
Both Congressional Democrats and the President will share their losses.
President Obama: no more excuses! Immigration reform cannot wait. Millions of hard-working immigrants are being treated worse than dogs and are suffering as a result of the current system, which is outdated and impossible to navigate.
Immigration reform must take place this year. Even 2010 will be late. Time for action is now! And while at it, you may consider a special bill to deport racists such as Senators Jeff Sessions, Jim DeMint, Reps. Joe Wilson, and other such mistakes of nature.
Dude, Its time for you to shut up, He has been in the office for about nine months now and already have done more then the previous President in eight years. What a mess he inherited.
Please pass the CIR this time!
This is a very SAD news because a lot of people are hoping that Mr. Obama and his administration will do something to stop the abuse and discrimination towards immigrants which he promised during the election campaigns. But this message is very clear now that they will not do something unless they come up with the numbers to pass the CIR Bill. They will not fight for it, unlike what they did for the Economic Stimulus Bill and now for the Health Care Reform. Obviously, its NOT A PRIORITY for him. He lied to everybody.
Totally agree with previous post, Obama is a great president. I hope that they will finally push the immigration reform, everyone should benefit from it.
Tommy: no question that he has done a great job as president so far. At the same time, immigration reform is something that cannot wait any longer. And, yes, he inherited a huge mess.
I support immigration reform.
well first of all, healthcare bill is taking forever and the reason is Obama is not that strong president. He wants to keep everyone happy which will not workout ever. He should be strong enough like Mr Bush, who started the wrong war against iraq and justified it in front of everyone.
Note that Gutierrez wants to push this through BEFORE campaigning starts. Every push for Amnesty is a slap in the face to US born citizens and legal immigrants. If they try and betray us again there will be a backlash against Dems and republicans alike.
We don’t need immigration reform, we need enforcement of our current laws. The vast majority of the country, according to a recent ABC poll, want to see a decrease in the number of illegal aliens in this country. Amnesty won’t happen this year, or next, or ever. If you don’t like it, I suggest you go home.
“Obama Official: Immigration Reform Will Be Introduced Once Votes to Pass It Are Assured” Is that means that reform is being put up indefinite???? Obama promised reform during the 2009, then in the beginning 2010, now it even doesn’t have a date.
A recent CNN poll shows that 73% of Americans want to see the number of illegal immigrants in the U.S. decreased. And a recent Rasmussen Reports poll shows strong support for immigration enforcement in workplaces.
With a U-6 effective unemployment rate of 17% — the highest in decades — politicians should listen to the American people, drop plans for “comprehensive immigration reform” a/k/a mass amnesty, and start focusing on how to get unemployed working class American citizens back to work — including young high school educated Black Americans who are often overlooked in this debate!
Now is the time
a think imigration reform will be in erly next year
It might be better Idea to give identity (like ITIN) to all illegal aliens as first step. If you can not give full reform, start rolling the wheel. This will resolve most of the problems illegal aliens. The next step could be to make a program to legalize these illegal immigrants (may be by taxing them 5-10% more)
Some say politicians should listen to the ‘American people’. First, it means they still view most Mexicans as strangers, even though they’ve seen and encountered them for decades. That’s telling.
Furthermore, they probably know as well about the millions of US born kids of undocumented parents who grew up and went to school in the U.S, and are not “criminals”. The amount of spite required to want to see all that blatantly destroyed is incomprehensible. It’s nothing to be proud of.
As for protecting American workers. The real protectors of American workers are the unions, who are actually for a legalization. Union workers are the ones who dedicate their lives to protecting the American worker. Unlike the spiteful anti-immigrant liars seen in every immigration related context, who are really wolves in sheep’s clothing when using such language.
President Obama needs to put his foot down, after all he is the PRESIDENT! The time is NOW for Change…like he breeded into us while he was compaigning. I support the immigration reform, it is WELL OVERDUE! I understand that the health care reform is time consuming and the energy bill is a must but so is immigration. Mexicans are being treated like they aren’t even human. They are being discriminated on over and over again yet President Obama isn’t doing anything about it. Everyone seems to be ok with this discrimination. I do not understand. The Latino votes is what landed him in the office and yet he has done nothing to help them. Don’t get it…if he keeps it up he will only be our president for 1 term.
My suggestion instead of taking on the big projects at once do them step by step. Deal with the Mexicans that are trying to be citizens first meaning anyone who has already put in there paperwork and is in limbo. Second, secure borders, third deal with the undocumented persons here illegal. It doesn’t have to be so hard if you focus on one thing at a time. Heck maybe I should be the next president!!
a very good president will never talk about something that he can not do.
Obama and senator shummer were talking about the reform , shumer said he will have a bill by labor day.
it was all talk.
It will never pass, the American people will turn their back on the Democrats. They want power and this would diminish that power.
We worked hard an bombarded our politicians with letters and calls to make sure that Health Care Reform did not include the law breaking illegals and we are prepared to fight even harder against amnesty when 30 million Americans are out of work. We won on health care and we will win again on blocking amnesty.
Prediction! Conservatives take over House and get very close to Senate in 2010. The economy continues to deteriorate under Obama. In 2012, just as Clinton did with welfare reform, Obama signs the “Immigration Reduction Act of 2012″ which permanently ends high immigration to the U.S. He’ll do it to win over the “moderate” Democrats and stay in office.
Amnesty Fetishists don’t seem to understand the havoc Americans will face when the THIRTY MILLION Actual Illegals start petitioning for their families to join them.
The resulting overpopulation, flight of the civilized and their tax dollars from
the hordes of violent Third Worlders will destabilize the Southwest Territories.
“Progressives” in their inability to understand history, will inadvertently will
place all hispanics in harm’s way, will fuel a civil war, and then play pin the
hate crime on the honky.
Clearly, history, a la Rome, proves that you cannot allow an influx of barbarians without deadly consequences.
The further act is that Mexico is a culture that has only existed for about 500 years and is completely corrupt, from the lowliest cab driver to the highest office.
No good can come of adding them legally to a nation of laws.
Of course, if you are a “progressive” this is not the stuff of truth, it is simply hate and therefore, like everything else of importance, you need not analyze it or even begin to think about it…..you already know what you are supposed to pretend to think all the time, right ?
I knew it. Obama do not have the balls. He is too young and inexperience to become the President He is afraid of the Republican Party. I should have voted for McCain.
Remember this next time….. don’t count on my vote.
If you wamt to Mexicanize this country I suggest you get the HELL OUT!
The majority of Americans, you know them- the ones who pay the frigging bills- will fight you every treasonous step of the way. Tired of your unending efforts to destroy this country. If you don’t like America then GET THE HELL OUT!!!!
It seems like people who are working in “dailies and car wash and baysisters and cleaning jobs ”
should never have a chance in life,,, people who felt to win the Green card lottery for years and years,
are ending by having a dark life in the dreams land, even if they are educated and have degrees such as, i don’t know why no body wants to figure out how to end such a problem and make things,,,
Be nice to each other. Forgiveness is the key to success and peace.
No nation can withstand an invasion of unskilled barbarians (I mean illegals). The system is not broken, just overloaded (look at our schools and hospitals). Calling Sessions and Wilson racist will not get you amnesty thugs anywhere. It is not the responsibility of America to give our dream to the entire world. Fix your own damn countries, and good luck with that.
You have 12 million plus here that are not going anywhere. You can continue to intimidate with aggressive enforcement and you will end up with increased crime rates. Immigrants will avoid police and suffer the crime inflicted by trafficking , “Guat bashing” domestic abuse and more. We will all suffer from this increased crime
We’ve had immigration reform in the past and we will have it again. We need to get over the hate and deal with the problem. .. They are not going back to Mexico, Guatemala , Honduras, Colombia because their children are Citizens and they are waiting in line to be become residents.
The Democrats need to stop testing the wind to see what they should do and lead .. We don’t need government by poll ..if that was government we would just have place holders and pollsters ..we need leaders… to show the way and if need be be tested at the polling booth.
AMNESTY IS TREASON!!!!
What about legal immigrants who are talented and paying tax and still waiting for 15 years
The Pope has instructed Obama to give Amnesty to the Illegals….watch the strong influence of the Roman Catholic Church in American Politics today.
wellsaid John……
R B your prediction is predictable which means it is no longer a prediction that is your future fact is meaningless……..this is how it will go……they will work on CIR and hopefully get a constructive solution by next year. If not in 3+ years which means we will be in a worse situation…….
WE will pass comprehensive immigration reform. YES,WE CAN.
Sen. Kennedy assured Americans back in 1986 that the 1986 IRCA “comprehensive reform” amnesty would be the last. We were also assured that there would be enforcement after this amnesty was granted, but the enforcement was soon dropped after the amnesty. Thus, we will NOT be fooled again by radical open border ethnocentric and cheap labor special interests. NO FORM OF ANY AMNESTY! ENFORCE OUR LAWS!!
No Amnesty, take care American Frist’these people broke the law why should they get amnesty they need to go back to their country and make their county better american people are out of jobs loseing their home
American wake up. no you will not pass comprehensive immigation reform’
Steve V. echos the marjority opinion. The Democrats and Republicans would have a better chance to pass a bill if they dropped the mis-leading ‘reform’ and called it what it is…’amnesty.’
For those of you that want Amnesty, let them pay for it. No income taxefor anybody, just raise the sales tax to 45 percent. That way, EVERYBODY pays…
The Legislative plate is full
Don’t you realise o ye ‘undocumented’
What was said in the campaign
Was all bull !!!
Birthright citizenship by location of birth is ridiculous, it must be stopped! If a person does not have at least one American parent how can they possibly be an American? And if one would like to thrive and succeed in a foreign land would it be too much to ask for them to assimilate to the culture of the land in which they wish to join? If a person wants to become an American legally I have no problem, however I do have problems with people coming to America, demanding changes, asking to be called THIS American or THAT American, and demanding multi-lingual forms signs etc. My family obviously immigrated at one time, however I do not call myself an English German Czech American or an European American, I am an American (PERIOD). IT is not the people creating the divisiveness it is the politicians. Why? Divide and Conquer… when everyone realizes that it is We The People of the world VS the LEADERS then we can begin to cement our FREEDOM.
1. If America needs to be changed then why are so many people around the world risking their lives to come here?
2. If America does change will the climate exist where people will continue to flock here?
3. If not where will the people of the world who seek better lives, freedom, and prosperity look in the future?
4. If America is no longer the bastion of Freedom it once was will Freedom in the hearts and minds of the people die, along with many innovations and advances for mankind?
The suspicion voiced in this post that Salazar’s statement reflects a lack of enthusiasm in the Administration for immigration reform is correct. It is ridiculous on the face of it to claim that you’re going to line up votes for a bill before it’s been introduced, since nobody knows what’s in it. If I were an immigration activist, I’d be insulted that the Administration thinks I’m that stupid.
Political logic suggests that immigration reform is more likely to be accomplished by a Republican Administration than a Democrat one – just as it was Democrat Bill Clinton that succeeded in passing free trade legislation (NAFTA).
Immigration activists should remember that it was Republicans George Bush and John McCain that actually tried to make progress on the issue – then you all stabbed them in the back to worship your Obamessiah, who will soon turn out to be your False Prophet, all promises and no action. If you insist on clinging to outdated party allegiance rather than supporting those who advance your goals, you have only yourselves to blame for the results.
This subject really does affect me in many ways. One because my parents dealt with this issue over 20 years ago (and no I am not Mexican) and another because my boyfriend of 8 years is illegal who is mexican. Everyone thinks that undocumented workers that receive amnesty from the government get things the easy way. I think everyone who thinks this way is just ignorant. Many people have worked so hard to get to this country, much harder than any American-born individual(like myself) to be judged so harshly by so many negative people “American” people. My parents like my boyfriend gave up a lot to get here and worked extremely difficult when they they did. My parents fortunately were here when Regan passed the amnesty law and now I know exactly what they went through seeing my boyfriend go through it. This country is amazing and so are the opportunities and when this law finally does go through you will see a lot of things come out of it, like in my case my two sisters, one who is a doctor and another who is a lawyer–both born from parents who were illegal before the amnesty law was passed. (think of that next time you are in the hospital) or like my boyfriend who although is illegal (and getting taxed) has a very successful restuarant with authentic Mexican food that “Americans” love…Meet a couple of people before making harsh judgement on innocent people who are just trying to live to their full potential which is something that many people cannot do in other countries.
Salazar the fraud who hides behind his rancher persona is another reason to kick all these wags out of office. He has locked up OUR land from exploration and extraction of minerals and is part of the thugocracy in DC whose goal it is to destroy this nation. The nation that gave him opportunity after opportunity he now shows his disdain of because having a Spanish surname he wants illegals flooding out nation and tnen voting for a fellow who is perceived as sympathetic to their desire to take, take take from our nation. Salazar is an example of the unethical politicos ruining our nation and from which we may never recover. How have so many America haters been elected to congress?? Answer: the lie!!!
The vast majority of illegals are decent hard-working people trying to give their families opportunities they never had — unfortunately it’s at the expense of other decent hardworking Americans, and if being a good person is license to settle in America, then we’d better get used to the idea of our population density becoming seven times as great in the next few years as another 2 billion people immigrate here and make America as undesirable a place to live as where they came from — and that would seem to be the only politically correct restraint on open borders.
EACH YEAR the US accepts more LEGAL IMMIGRANTS than all the rest of the world’s nations combined, and we’re still told it’s not enough. The media-approved estimate of illegals, 12 million, seems to have remained unchanged over 5 year — for this estimate to be even halfway credible our hobbled border enforcement agents would have to apprehend and deport the perpetrators of at least one-third of all illegal crossings.
Only China and India have larger populations than the US, and the race to number one is a losing strategy for America.
Anyone who spouts that “nation of immigrants” nonsense shows that either his command of English or his command of logic is seriously deficient.
It’s not because they’re from different races or cultures — America will never shut down all immigration — but the fact is that we don’t have the wide open spaces ready to be populated and having superabundant water resources, and every government’s first responsibility is to act within the bounds of morality in the best interests of its citizens.
I’m really sick of living in an American sanctuary city where immigrants are accorded more rights (instate tuition, free medical care, free education, affirmative action, etc.) than US citizens and not routinely deported and where large numbers of permanent residents are displaced by cheaper, unnecessary, imported labor for the benefit of businessmen who are effectively selling an improved chance for US citizenship that is not the corporatists’ property to sell, while generally paying sub-market wages. When America was the wealthiest country in the world, the cosmopolitan benefits of such generous laws may have offset the costs, but we’re now the greatest debtor nation in the world with a rapidly sinking standard of living because of the gross imbalance of trade resulting from the lobbyists’ legal bribes (called “campaign contributions”) for amnesty and still higher immigration quotas.
The US is no longer in a position to solve all the world’s problems or to pay for their solution, but both our populace and our politicians prefer to act in their own individual interests rather than in the interests of America. The H-1B visa has largely made the science and technology departments of our universities into training schools for foreigners, though ~75% of their funding derives from US taxes and gifts (25% foreign admissions and 75% Americans would be far better for America’s future than 90% foreign graduate admissions seen in many schools). Even while America has been exporting technical jobs, technology, and wealth at breakneck speeds (and giving investment tax credits to those who do so), corporatists are still campaigning vigorously for an increase in H-1B visas, increasing the supply many times the demand, and therefore driving down the economic incentive for Americans to pursue degrees that take 4-6 years and put the another $100K in debt, while keeping them out of the public labor market and making them put their personal lives on hold for another 4-6 years. As an immigration lawyer admitted under my questioning while he was arguing for more H-1B visas, he wouldn’t want his kids to major in math or the sciences. Why not? Because there are easier ways to make a living, a clear admission that the work visa programs have so distorted the US pay structure that it is seriously distorting the division of labor and development of our native resources — why should a mathematically talented student major in math or the sciences when he can make more money and have a more normal family life as a quantitative financial analyst rather than as a lifetime 80-hour/week servant of science for the gross enrichment of a few corporatists who are selling us down the river?
I’m sure that contributors to this forum are trying to be good people, but I believe they’re shutting their eyes to the problems that the large-scale immigration they promote, is causing in the country for which they profess their love.
I support immigration reform!
Make our borders more secure. Do not allow lawbreakers into this Country! Do not use taxpayer money to pay illegal’s entry problems. Force ALL immigrants to obey the LAW!
This is not racisim, this is common sense.
Obama’s only reason for liberal immigration reform is to get more votes from non-citizens.
STOP THE LIES. WAKE UP!
I will see one day illegal americans in Brazil working illegaly as dishwashers, This country is breaking down.
Ivan talks about “hard working immigrants being treated worse than dogs”. He’s a liar. Look at all the benefits and privileges that illegals get that they don’t deserve. They are illegals that no one forced to come here. Every county has immigration laws but these people expect us to ignore our laws and accomodate them. No wonder their countries are such sheetholes with so much crime, corruption, and no rule of law and they are turning this country into the one they left.
some day american people come to the Moscov , clean my toilet