President Barack Obama plans to introduce legislation to Congress to reform immigration and to expedite the path to citizenship within the first weeks of his second term.
The New York Times reported that the president will man the helm of this effort to overhaul the immigration system in Congress, but the president has not made any public announcements about the matter. There are more than 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States, and Obama pledged he would lead the effort to reform the system. His campaign garnered the popularity of the Latino community, and Obama earned 71 percent of the Hispanic vote.
“I think what was incredibly encouraging was to see a significant increase in Latino turnout,” Obama said Nov. 14. This is the fastest-growing group in the country and, you know, historically what you’ve seen is Latino vote — vote at lower rates than the broader population. And that’s beginning to change.”
The changes Obama alluded to in November will now go underway as the president looks to focus on domestic policies this term. Presidents George W. Bush and Obama have talked about immigration reform, but due to 9/11, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the recession, immigration has been a festering issue. Instead of seeking reform, Obama dealt with immigration with a firm hand, deporting the most people in U.S. history — 1.4 million. This figure and the failure of the DREAM Act in 2010 gave the Latino community mixed feelings about Obama, and though he got the majority of the Hispanic vote, Latino civic activism has swelled.
“You’re starting to see a sense of empowerment and civic participation (among Latinos) that I think is going to be powerful and good for the country,” Obama said Nov. 14. “It is why I’m very confident that we can get immigration reform done.”
The president may introduce his plan during the State of the Union address Feb. 12. White House office said the plan will not be a free amnesty handout, but will include fines and payment of taxes. The White House is looking to get the State Department to issue more visas to encourage legal immigration.
Though the debate on immigration policies has become polarized between Democrats and Republicans, Janet Murguía, president and CEO of the National Council of La Raza, said this shouldn’t be a partisan issue.
“Now is the time to get immigration reform passed,” Murguía said in a press release. “This election wrote the obituary for self-deportation proposals and the fantasy that we will hunt down 11 million people. The moral, economic and political imperatives are clearly aligned, providing unprecedented momentum for the White House and legislators to deliver the rational solutions that the American people want. This is about doing what is best for the American people and the American economy, and doing it swiftly.”
Many Latinos are calling for swift action in North Carolina, especially after the state’s Division of Motor Vehicles has denied issuing drivers licenses to immigrants who have applied for deferred action. The ruling may affect 18,000 immigrants who wish to seek legal status in North Carolina, but until the president puts a plan in place, it seems like Latinos will have to wait.
