Upstaged Monday by the Gang of Eight, President Obama today rolled out his own plans for comprehensive immigration reform today. Here is a fact sheet put out by the White House, and here are his complete remarks. The president went more in for some high-flown rhetoric in his speech, delivered in Las Vegas. An excerpt:
Immigration’s always been an issue that inflames passions. That’s not surprising. You know, there are few things that are more important to us as a society than who gets to come here and call our country home, who gets the privilege of becoming a citizen of the Untied States of America. That’s a big deal. When we talk about that in the abstract, it’s easy sometimes for the discussion to take on a feeling of us versus them. And when that happens, a lot of folks forget that most of us used to be them. (Cheers, applause.) We forget that.
And it’s really important for us to remember our history. You know, unless you’re one of the first Americans, a Native American, you came from someplace else. (Cheers, applause.) Somebody brought you.
You know, Ken Salazar — he’s of, you know, Mexican-American descent, but he — he points out that his family’s been living where — where he lives for 400 years.
(Cheers.) So he didn’t — he didn’t immigrate anywhere. (Laughter.)
The Irish, who left behind a land of famine; the Germans, who fled persecution; the Scandinavians, who arrived eager to pioneer out west; the Polish; the Russians; the Italians; the Chinese; the Japanese; the West Indians; the huddled masses who came through Ellis Island on one coast and Angel Island on the other — (cheers, applause) — you know, all those folks, before they were us, they were them. (Laughter.)
And when each new wave of immigrants arrived, they faced resistance from those who were already here. They faced hardship. They faced racism. They faced ridicule. But over time, as they went about their daily lives, as they earned a living, as they raised a family, as they built a community, as their kids went to school here, they did their part to build the nation. They were the Einsteins and the Carnegies, but they were also the millions of women and men whose names history may not remember but whose actions helped make us who we are, who built this country hand by hand, brick by brick. (Cheers, applause.)
But he did talk about the practical business of getting something passed, and favorably mentioned the Gang of Eight’s proposals, while saying if they don’t fly, he’ll be pushing his own plan:
Now, the good news is that for the first time in many years Republicans and Democrats seem ready to tackle this problem together. (Cheers, applause.) Members of both parties in both chambers are actively working on a solution. Yesterday a bipartisan group of senators announced their principles for comprehensive immigration reform, which are very much in line with the principles I’ve proposed and campaigned on for the last few years. So at this moment it looks like there’s a genuine desire to get this done soon. And that’s very encouraging.
But this time action must follow. We can’t allow — (applause) — immigration reform to get bogged down in an endless debate. We’ve been debating this a very long time. So it’s not as if we don’t know technically what needs to get done.
As a consequence, to help move this process along, today I’m laying out my ideas for immigration reform. And my hope is that this provides some key markers to members of Congress as they craft a bill, because the ideas that I’m proposing have traditionally been supported by both Democrats like Ted Kennedy and Republicans like President George W. Bush. You don’t get that matchup very often. (Laughter.) So — so we know where the consensus should be.
Now of course, there will be rigorous debate about many of the details. And every stakeholder should engage in real give and take in the process. But it’s important for us to recognize that the foundation for bipartisan action is already in place. And if Congress is unable to move forward in a timely fashion, I will send up a bill based on my proposal and insist that they vote on it right away.
So after six years, this issue is officially back on the nation’s front burner. Here’s hoping something sensible actually gets done this time.
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So what he’s saying is that we’re all from Kenya?
And apparently “Native Americans” — heck, I am a Native American, too– Aboriginal American is more precise—migrated here, too. Just a lot earlier…..
Or indigenous.
How many of “us” entered the country illegally? Which of your ancestors snuck in, didn’t pay taxes, didn’t pay for insurance? How many of “us” were getting government benefits we didn’t pay for? Which languages did the U.S. government support to help “us”?
The Obama plan has the same condition as the Gang of Eight: “Immigrants living here illegally must be held responsible for their actions by passing national security and criminal background checks, paying taxes and a penalty, going to the back of the line, and learning English before they can earn their citizenship.”
Until someone can identify a test case that shows how they will pay all the taxes they owe, this is a scam. Let’s see one illegal immigrant who will stand up and say “I’m ready to pay my taxes and fines and in return get… um… exactly what I have now but with less money”
Doug,
What if a person who is here illegally, never wanted to be illegal. What if they would have gladly come through a legal path if there had been a legal path working and available for them to help them out of their desperate situation. Why would such a person not willingly pay more for that status when finally given the opportunity.
What they get will not be “exactly what [they] have now but with less money”. In exchange for less money they get legal status and the right to not be taken advantage of by unscrupulous employers and the opportunity to advance higher in the world legitimately if they are able. They get stability for their family, which likely is what motivated all of their illegal actions anyway, so why wouldn’t they be willing to pay for that, when given the chance, if they are able.
How many of the 11 million “never wanted to be illegal”? Anyone who crossed the border illegally wanted to be illegal.
Do you think the “unscrupulous employers” are going to welcome the opportunity to see their labor costs go up by 30% or more? Do you think these employers are going to be happy when the first illegal immigrant registers and identifies that employer? I can foresee those same unscrupulous employers making threats to the employees that if they register, they will be unemployed.
People just don’t think through the consequences of their proposals.
The children, too? Infants? Toddlers?
Why do you suppose ANY of them would “want to be illegal?”
Who wouldn’t have preferred to be legal, if they could have gotten into the country that way? And I don’t mean waiting years for bureaucratic gears to grind in order to get through a too-small bottleneck. A person who needs a job now to feed his family needs a job now.
The moment they crossed the border, they wanted to be illegal. Nobody forced them to cross. They chose illegal entry versus other options including staying in their native country.
That’s like saying a bank robber doesn’t want to steal. We should give him a break because he had no other option to get money. He’s just trying to escape poverty.
Actually, no it isn’t. Crossing the border without the proper paperwork is nothing at all like robbing a bank. That’s where our big disagreement is. To you, it’s just a crime, and all crimes are alike.
But they aren’t. Failing to wear a seatbelt, for instance, isn’t the same as first-degree murder. Nor is crossing the border illegally the same as bank robbery.
Where does failing to pay taxes , identity fraud, and driving without insurance fall in your hierarchy of illegality?
I’d put crossing the border illegally into the same category as embezzlement. Sort of like a bookkeeper who creates a dummy company and pays herself thousands of dollars over many years. It’s a crime worthy of serious punishment. Restitution plus jail time is typical. The person might be doing a fine job, working hard otherwise.
And not only will they have committed the heinous crime of coming here with no paperwork instead of waiting in an imaginary line, their children could one day receive free or reduced lunches. That WE paid for!
Sure you just want to “feed your family;” but rules are rules, scumbags!
Are illegals using services that legal citizens pay for? If I come over to your house and tap into your electrical or water system just because I can, would you accuse me of stealing from you? Stealing is stealing.
@David
How much money have you donated to help feed the poor lately?
Seems unlikely when both Senators Graham and Scott voted against relief for Sandy today. What would Charleston be like if the US Government hung it out to dry in the fall of 1989?
Whether every line item related to Sandy was appropriate, etc., voting against helping citizens seems to preclude rationally considering illegal aliens.
Lindsey must really feel he is vulnerable, or else he has become a DeMint disciple. Gross display either way.
Untied States?
I hope that people realize that many of these folks want to become citizens. They came here illegally because they might well starve if they waited for legal status. The ones who are making money will probably be happy to pay taxes in order to ensure that they or their children won’t be deported.
That’s why there are laws, if there were none we’d have 90% of Mexico moving North. We can’t support the ones who are already here, so why should we welcome even more or give amnesty to the ones who are here illegally? Illegals should be shipped back across the border, and if they want to come into this country legally they need to play by the rules.
Immigration laws were only tightened in 1924, when nativist fears arose that letting in too many of the wrong type of people might swamp American civilization. If your ancestors came to the U.S. before 1924, you benefited from laws that were more permissive than since then.n
Okay, over 237 years ago, this area known as the United States of America was lawless; all right, we were ruled by England.
But once we became a country with laws, then the US needed to define citizenship and regulate immigration.
I had to get a passport as part of my job requirement, which I never used. In applying for the passport, I found that the hospital where I was born, Bamberg County Hospital, never filed my birth with DHEC’s Vital Records. My mother had to sign an affidavit testifying to my birth. The Passport office won’t accept those cute certificates with the baby’s footprint.
That FUBAR by Bamberg County Hospital brings up an scenario: 1) Since I don’t exist, I shouldn’t have to file income taxes (Federal or State)
I’ve had a Social Security Number for many years, which was stolen last year by the breakin at DOR.