Obama Plans to Begin Addressing Comprehensive Immigration Reform this Year
I'd be remiss if I didn't point out today's most important immigration-related news item, which
currently sits at number 4 on the NYT's most read list. In case you haven't already heard, President Obama says that he will begin this year trying to forge comprehensive immigration reform legislation.
Given the fact that President Obama is trying to simultaneously save the global economy, reform our health care and energy systems and resolve two major battles abroad, the most common response to this immigration news is likely to be "Why Now?"
In my mind, it's fairly simple. Last year while campaigning Obama made a number of pledges to voters of all ethnicities that he would begin attempting to address our country's broken immigration system during his first year in office. Latino voters, in turn, turned out in disproportionately large numbers for Obama. Today's announcement is simply his effort to live up to that promise. In other words, in this corner you'll find courage and honor.
Now our President isn't naieve, he knows that the poor souls at Numbers USA and the misleadingly-named FAIR will be screaming at the top of their lungs about Obama wanting to give jobs to foreigners at a time when too many Americans are without work. So it seems that the Administration will provide an effective frame on the issue by pointing out that Obama's plan would not add new workers to the American work force, but that it would recognize millions of illegal immigrants who have already been working here.
Plus, ever the community organizer, he is actively encouraging advocates for immigrants to build grass roots support within their communities for the issue. The article points out:
That is why Representative Luis V. Guiterrez, a Democrat from Mr. Obama's hometown, Chicago, has been on the road most weekends since last December, traveling far outside his district to meetings in Hispanic churches, hoping to generate something like a civil rights movement in favor of broad immigration legislation.
I think that's exactly the right approach to take in this situation. A controversial topic like immigration reform is never going to happen unless millions of like-minded people will it into existence. If you want to get involved and you live here in Iowa, a great place start is here.
