Obama and Immigration Reform
With the election behind us, will we finally see some progress in 2013?
The presidential election finally changed the game for immigration reform. For years now, illegal immigrants were quickly losing hope that they would ever be able to integrate into this country as legal residents. They were unable to renew driver’s licenses, attend college, find jobs, buy homes or businesses, and faced many other difficulties. While the Republicans had taken a hard stance on this issue, the results of the elections quickly showed them that they could not continue in their anti-immigration path.
Shortly after his victory, President Barack Obama urged Congress to approve immigration reform that will allow a path to the legalization of undocumented migrants’ status.
He brought up the topic at his first press conference since winning reelection, thanks in part to 70 percent support among Hispanic voters.
Obama said that immigration reform must include strengthening border security, fines for companies that hire undocumented foreigners, and the legalization of those who have no criminal records and fulfill other requirements. The president said that he hopes to see an immigration reform bill introduced in Congress “very soon” after his second inauguration in January.
“I am very confident we can get immigration reform done,” Obama said, adding that the White House staff has already begun conversations with members of the Senate and the House on how to line up the votes to get an immigration bill to his desk for signing.
“We need to seize the moment,” said Obama, adding that he is “already seeing signs” that some Republicans are willing to discuss the immigration issue.
It also seems as if Americans are now on board for immigration reform. Americans support a pathway to citizenship for the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States by 57 percent to 39 percent, according to an ABC News/Washington Post poll. Approval for the idea among Hispanics was 82 percent, compared with 51 percent among non-Latino whites.
More than seven out of every 10 Democrats agree with the measures, along with 69 percent of young adults. The telephone survey was conducted between Nov. 7-11 among 1,023 adults nationwide.
Of course, it is unrealistic to expect that all resistance has ceased. Some conservatives have long labeled immigration reform “amnesty” for lawbreakers, and called for crackdowns on people living here without proper documentation. Since the election, though, those voices have quieted and some conservative commentators have shifted stances. Fox News’ Sean Hannity, for one, said he had “evolved” on the issue.
Let us hope that this new outlook leads to much promised changes in the near future.
VISA PREFERENCE NUMBERS FOR DECEMBER 2012
Please note that the table in the print and digital issues contains some incorrect dates, and we regret the error; the table below is correct.
|
FAMILY |
India |
Pakistan/Bangladesh |
|
1st |
01Dec05 |
01Dec05 |
|
2A |
22Aug10 |
22Aug10 |
|
2B |
15Nov04 |
15Nov04 |
|
3rd |
08Jun02 |
08Jun02 |
|
4th |
01Apr01 |
01Apr01 |
|
EMPLOYMENT |
India |
Pakistan/Bangladesh |
|
1st |
Current |
Current |
|
2nd |
01Sep04 |
Current |
|
3rd |
01Nov02 |
22Dec06 |
|
Other |
01Nov02 |
22Dec06 |
|
4th |
Current |
Current |
|
5th |
Current |
Current1B |
Corrected December 11, 2012.
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