AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin
Thousands of immigration activists demonstrated in Washington, D.C. Sunday, calling for legislation to give legal status to millions of illegal immigrants.
President Obama, busy campaigning for Obamacare, addressed the protesters via video and affirmed his support for the Schumer/Graham immigration legislation outline.
The Schumer/Graham plan has "four pillars":
- Biometric Social Security cards to ensure that illegal workers cannot get jobs;
- Border security and interior enforcement;
- A process for admitting temporary workers; and
- A path to legalization for those already here.
Each of those pillars is controversial in its own right. The biometric social security cards are seen as a national identification card face technical issues and are widely opposed because of privacy, security, and federalism concerns. Border security raises the never-ending fence debate and the failure of the virtual fence. Unions object to temporary workers. You can't discuss a path to legalization without addressing amnesty.
Obama ran for president promising secure borders, increased number of legal immigrants, to remove incentives for illegal immigration, and to allow undocumented immigrants who are in good standing to pay a fine, learn English, and go to the back of the line for the opportunity to become citizens. President Obama promised to make immigration reform a top priority of the first year of his presidency. When Obama backed away from that promise, Politifact rated his promise stalled.
Comments
Obama is going to need 12 million new voters who will lick the hands that feed them. It's the only way Dems will survive in November. Look fo an all out push on amnesty, rather than a slow boat to legalization.
Obama is about the most clueless SOB ever elected for the high office.
When will he wake up and see to it that we simply should enforce the laws ALREADY on the books!? Liberals turning the other cheek and scared Republicans in the southwest is what created this problem.
We dont need an overhaul of immigration...we need a heavier arm applied to what laws are already in place. If anything, toughen them up.
Free passes into the country is a sign of weakness and totally contradicts our current immigration stand as a nation.
Let's all hope to goodness that he doesnt try this nonsense before the Democrats are sent home packing this Fall.
Tim, if Obama is clueless then do you think Bush was a genius? I think you are an idiot. HCR passed today wait and see CIR pass in the next 2 months.
You are right, Tex. That is exactly how he plans to stay in office - on the backs of those "illegals" that he makes legal & gives health care to, as well.
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