Obama immigration reform proposal lands on table like dead fish
by Hugh Holub on May. 11, 2011, under immigration law reform, politicsPresident Obama made a major speech on immigration reform May 10th in El Paso, and released his blueprint for 21st century immigration reform.
It landed like a dead fish thrown on the table.
For example:
Juan Gonzales,, columnist for the New York Daily News:
President Obama weakly punts immigration reform back to Congress
President Obama said all the right things in El Paso on Tuesday about the need to fix the country’s immigration system, while lauding the progress he’d made in controlling the border.
But when the soaring rhetoric was done, Obama closed with a weak punt of immigration reform back to Congress.
Yes We Can turned into No I Can’t.
He refused to do what many Latino leaders have urged for months. He rejected using executive powers to soften the worst aspects of the government’s crackdown on the nation’s 11 million undocumented residents.
He turned his back on 1 million young people known as the DREAMERS. They are the high school and college kids brought to this country illegally by their parents. Having known no other home than the U.S., they face deportation at any moment and can’t legally find work.
Joe Garofoli San Francisco Chronicle:
Obama’s immigration speech offers no new proposals
Standing near the U.S.-Mexico border Tuesday, President Obama made his self-described “big policy speech” on immigration reform. But it didn’t offer new proposals, didn’t say legislation was coming and didn’t explain how he would win over a skeptical GOP-led House.
If Obama’s fourth immigration-related event in the past month was meant to appeal to the pivotal Latino voting bloc he needs to be re-elected, he should know that “Latino voters are very smart,” said Gloria Montano Greene, Washington, D.C., director for the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials.
“A speech is not going to do it,” she said. “They want to see action.”
While Montano Greene nonetheless praised Obama for “keeping immigration in the forefront,” others were skeptical that Tuesday’s event was little more than a campaign stop. Obama did not vigorously push for immigration reform – a promise he made to Latino voters – even when Democrats had congressional majorities during his first two years.
Cynthia Tucker Atlanta Journal Constitution
Border is secure, but Congress won’t pass immigration reform
Apparently believing that conservatives would support a comprehensive bill if they were reassured about border protections, Obama has sent National Guard troops and drone surveillance aircraft to the Southern boundary. He hired more border agents. He has pursued an aggressive policy of deportations — rounding up more illegal immigrants than his predecessor.
But the hostility toward illegal immigrants isn’t based on any rational fear of cross-border narco-violence or jihadist-inspired terrorism. It’s based on deep-seated prejudices stoked by a faltering economy and an increasingly diverse population. Many native-born Americans wrongly believe that illegal workers have sapped our strength, reversed our economic fortunes and set us on a course toward decline. But let’s not kid ourselves: We aren’t prepared to grant legal status even to those who are ambitious, resourceful and hardworking — who would give to the country a great deal more than they would take from it.
Editorial Washington Post:
Mr. Obama’s description of the problem was accurate, and his prescription the right one: a “good-faith effort” by both parties to pass comprehensive measures that combine border security with assimilation, not mass expulsion, for illegal immigrants who qualify.
To move things forward, Mr. Obama will have to do a lot more. He needs to outline legislation, push Congressional leaders — including those in his own party — to back it and make the case repeatedly to Americans.
The president also needs to get his own policies in order. For all his talk of supporting the hopes of the undocumented, his administration has been doubling down on the failed strategy of mass expulsion. It is pressing state and local police to join in an ill-conceived program called Secure Communities, which sends arrested people’s fingerprints through federal immigration databases, turning all local officers and jails into arms of the Department of Homeland Security.
Many lawmakers and police agencies say it erodes public safety by making immigrants, especially victims of domestic violence, afraid to report crimes. They worry about giving rogue officers a convenient tool for racial profiling. And they feel betrayed because what the administration once billed as a transparent, voluntary program aimed only at dangerous convicted criminals turns out to be none of those things. The Homeland Security Department’s own data show that more than half of those deported under the program have no criminal records or committed only minor crimes.
Mr. Obama and the homeland security secretary, Janet Napolitano, should heed the growing calls by lawmakers in California, Illinois, New York and other places to abandon Secure Communities to preserve public safety.
As for the broader issue of immigration reform, Mr. Obama’s aides insisted on Tuesday that he did, indeed, have a plan that interested Americans could read on the White House Web site. If Mr. Obama is really committed to this issue it’s going to take a lot more than that.
Jennifer Bendery Huffington Post:
Even this sort of positive take noted Obama’s proposal was DOA to the GOP:
Obama’s Immigration Speech Packs Political Punch
In his first visit to the U.S.-Mexico border since becoming president, Obama said his administration has “gone above and beyond” what Republicans have demanded on border security in exchange for their support on broader immigration reform, but to no avail.
“Even though we’ve answered these concerns, I’ve got to say, I suspect there are still going to be some who are trying to move the goal posts on us one more time,” he said. “They said we needed to triple the Border Patrol. Or now they’re going to say we need to quadruple the Border Patrol. Or they’ll want a higher fence.”
“Maybe they’ll need a moat. Maybe they want alligators in the moat,” Obama said to laughter. “They’ll never be satisfied. And I understand that. That’s politics.”
In reality, said the president, his administration has put more boots on the ground at the southwest border than at any time in our history. “So the question is whether those in Congress who previously walked away in the name of enforcement are now ready to come back to the table and finish the work we’ve started,” he said.
But Senate Republicans who have played a key role in past immigration reform talks grumbled that Obama’s latest moves on the issue are less about policy and more about the 2012 elections.
“I’m afraid this is probably more political theater than reality,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), arguably the White House’s best hope for a GOP ally on immigration reform legislation, said of the president’s speech.
My Comment: The Obama “blueprint” looks like a campaign brochure complete with lots of pictures of Obama in action.
The problem is there is really nothing new and the whole scheme depends on folks buying that Obama has secured the border and now it is time to pass immigration reform which still looks a lot like amnesty to many.
There is not going to be immigration reform until the border is secure.
The problem is Obama is relying on Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and her magic bag of statistics to justify a more secure border.
As Senator John McCain pointed out recently, the border is not secure when there are drug cartel spotters sitting on mountain tops in Arizona guiding loads of drugs and caravans of illegal immigrants around the Border Patrol’s scattered deployment.
The GAO reported a large area of the border still was not under “operational control” and that includes the area west of Nogales and a large portion of the Texas border.
The core problem for Obama is he is trusting Napolitano to guide US border security strategy, and Napolitano is trusting an embedded Border Patrol bureacracy to secure the border. Unfortunately for Obama there are a lot of retired Border Patrol agents pointing out nasty little truths like DHS is cooking the books on apprehensions by looking the other way when encountering illegal aliens.
Obama’s problems with border security go even farther into the hole with the ATF “gunwalker” scandal. Letting thousands of guns get “walked” into the hands of the Mexican drug cartels is not a pretty picture. With two of those “walked” guns ending up at the murder scene of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry, the ATF has blood on their hands. Rather than clean out the entire mess in ATF and at the Department of Justice, Obama’s team is busy trying to cover up the scandal and burn the lowets level people they can to escape responsibility for a really botched law enforcement effort.
See SipseyStreet’s ecxcellent analysis of what is going on woith the ATF “gunlwaker” scandal.
If cooking the books on border apprehensions and allowing guns to “walk” into the hands of the drug cartels was not enough, the highly touted program to deport criminal aliens via ICE is another failed border security effort.
Instead of actually deporting real criminals, the ICE effort is a federal version of Joe Arpaio’s infamous sweeps in front of Home Depots, grabbing anyone and everyone they can deport to pad the statistics.
Again, Obama is trusting his down-the-line command structure to make it look like he is tough on the border when in fact he has a lot of managers in the chain-of-command who are playing a smoke and mirrors game to make things look a lot better than they really are.
All this relies on statistics…the border is more secure because the statistics show it is…which avoids the reality that there are serious flaws in securing the border and the danger…especially from cartel drug smugglers..is growing.
Congressional staff looking at the border in California Gulch April 26, 2011
In an ideal world Obama would do what the GOP has done…get down on the border without Border Patrol and DHS handlers and see for himself what is going on. However no way would the Secret Service allow Obama to take a ride with a bunch of ranchers into California Gulch without massive security wrapped around him because probably Afghanistan is safer than parts of southern Arizona.
It would seem the effort to show how tough he is about border security is Obama’s ploy to get the GOP to back off and consider immigration law reform which would secure lots of Latino votes for Obama in 2012.
The GOP is not buying Napolitano’s border security claims, and Latinos are frustrated because of the failure of the Dream Act last year and the absence of any serious proposal for immigration law reform that can even get 100% support from border Democrats let alone any Republicans.
One problem is there is virtually no Latino voice in favor of border security and helping to define what “securing the border” really means. It has not dawned on Latino political leaders that stopping the flood of illegal immigrants is in their best interest to be able to confront the nasty question about what to do with 11 million illegal aliens already in the country.
Just for an example…I’d love to see Latino political leaders support something like my “probationary presence” approach to how to resolve the status of illegal aliens already in the country.
Probationary Presence…another Immigration Law Reform Proposal
Unfortunately the Latino political leadership comes across looking like they advocate open borders and a free ride for those who entered the country illegally and that is going exactly nowhere politically in this country.
Obama can’t win this fight with his current border security team and with Latino leaders demanding what is impossible….
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Arizona Sheriffs Babeu and Dever call Obama immigration proposal “amnesty”
Obama’s blueprint for a 21st century immigration system
Obama speaks in El Paso about immigration reform
Arizona set to build own border fence …another really dumb idea from the state legislature
Another drug tunnel discovered and other border news
Illegal alien charged with murder of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry
Issa Leads Congressional Investigation of DOJ’s ATF “Operation Fast & Furious”
Napolitano promises to change the way “border security” is measured
Cochise County Sheriff Tells Congress That Border Patrol Agents Ordered to Reduce Arrests
California Gulch..one of those places along the border wide open to drug smugglers
If the border is so secure why are there dead bodies all over the place?
Republicans Introduce Bill to Secure Border on Federal Lands, Protect Environment
Apprehensions of illegal aliens at the border are way down…why?
GAO confirms federal environmental laws and federal land managers hinder securing our border
Senators Kyl and McCain propose new border security plan
DHS testifies at same hearing as border rancher…compare the view of the border situation
Rancher tells Congress the way it really is down at the border
What does “securing the border” really mean?
Illegal entry and drug smuggling in perspective…what if all this was going on in your front yard?
Probationary Presence…another Immigration Law Reform Proposal
Drug cartels have made Nogales the tunnel capital of the Southwestern border
GOP drafts legislative assault on illegal immigration
Arizona would go broke if all the illegal immigrants left the state
230,000 displaced in Mexico by drug war
Janet Napolitano: Border security better than ever
Birthright citizenship debate…is the solution worse than the problem?
Immigration enforcement efforts damaging to community, police group says
10 million more illegal aliens coming to America?
Border officials say security is improving…and the tooth fairy is real
US Census Report on Arizona…Hispanic population increases dramatically
Utah avoids mistakes Arizona made on immigration laws
Cops don’t want to be junior Border Patrol agents (except in Maricopa County)
Inside ATF…an ugly picture …how many dead bodies are out there as a result of Project Gunrunner?
Grassley blasts Department of Justice on coverup of guns used in Agent Terry’s murder
Dept. of Justice denies gun claim about Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry’s death
Is there a cover-up on Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry’s murder?
Was Border Patrol agent Brian Terry killed by a gun bought in Phoenix?
DHS chief Napolitano living in a fantasy land about border security
Guns and Mexico … be very afraid my friends
More on the coverup of the truth about the guns that killed Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry
Secure the border at the border
Border safe and secure, CBP commissioner Bersin proclaims
Dept. of Justice denies gun claim about Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry’s death
Is there a cover-up on Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry’s murder?
Arizona ranchers question Napolitano’s claims the border is safer
Napolitano touts Homeland Security’s border efforts
Guns from Arizona going to Mexican drug cartels according to Mayors Against Illegal Guns
May 11th, 2011 on 8:16 am
I don’t understand how the politicians can continue offrering illegals amnesty just to get the votes for a certain party…
This must stop immediately…
Illegal’s have the opportunity to come yo The United States legally with papers and then work and live her but to continue to offer amnesty,health benefits and a roof over their heads is not right as we taxpayers have to pay for their way…
We can no longer afford to do this and throw money away protecting them in every city or town and if they do they deserve go bankrupt…
Our hospitals suffer and cannot afford the illegals and lose money day after day for not being able to get payments from the illegals or ask for citizenship…
Either the illegals come here legally or go back until they get the correct documents required…
May 11th, 2011 on 8:18 am
I guess his week long boost in the polls will come to a screaching halt.
17% real unemployment and he wants to add 30 nillion more workers, I think he may have lost his mind.
May 11th, 2011 on 8:20 am
The first AMNESTY signed into law thanks to President Reagan, expanded upon the fact that this WOULD BE A ONE-TIME AMNESTY!
The American people are holding the government up to that promise!
This President of a Kenya born father shows his true colors and also his lack of knowledge about American history.
I can’t think of any President in American history that would have allowed an amnesty of mostly hostile Mexican nationals except Ronald Reagan who obviously pulled this off for his rich friends who saw a chance at cheap labor.
And even in the 80′s government officials were SHOCKED at how much chain migration of Mexican relatives entered as well! (most illegal aliens that gained amnesty were Mexican Nationals)
Observe today all the headaches these pesky foreigners are causing in the United states with that hideous and insane one-time amnesty!
Kiss this country totally good-bye with another traitorous amnesty.
May 11th, 2011 on 8:57 am
Well said. I posted something similiar on Hugh’s other story. I mentioned that I thought that the employees of the Border Patrol must feel like they have been betrayed.
Why should they work hard when Obama will just make all of those mexican uneducated crime ridden peons American citizens. We are so screwed. 2050 is coming soon. Time to push the Progressive wet dream back as soon as possible. Buy a gun.
May 11th, 2011 on 1:14 pm
Probationary Presence…another Immigration Law Reform Proposal
Yeah right, your solution is a joke. The American people, you know the ones who built this country and have died defending it. We are not going to give it a way to a bunch of border jumpers. The attitude that we can’t deport or at least make life so unbearable that they leave on their own accord is ridiculous. Every American knows that all it takes is the will to enforce current laws and the illegal alien problem would self deport.
May 11th, 2011 on 6:47 pm
Would someone please explain why any President would want to bestow amnesty/citizenship on people who broke into our country and laughed at our laws? And how do you explain to those who are applying correctly that you will give preference to those who sneaked in, gave false or stolen IDs and fake names to obtain jobs? Someone must have an answer. I’ve given up trying to figure this out.
May 11th, 2011 on 7:37 pm
It’s simple he needs them as future Democratic voters. You think that they will vote Republican? Its the same as a coup. Bring in these illegals and it will be impossible for a fair election. With their birthrate and the legal ones that are already here and you can forget a two party system forever. I won’t even discuss the cultural and crime issues. To have a Hispanized America is a disgusting thought. 2050 is the date these Progressives /Hispanic activists just love to talk about. I compare it to the collapse od the United States. 250 years of the USA down the toilet.
May 13th, 2011 on 5:45 am
soon the country will fall into the abyss of irrelevance http://www.numbersusa.com/content/
May 14th, 2011 on 6:51 pm
Not Amnesty – DEPORTATION!
Si se puede – deportivo ahora
Yes we can Deport you NOW!