Obama Will Seek Citizenship Path in One Fast Push

[Ztolkins]

Source: New York Times

President Obama plans to push Congress to move quickly in the coming months on an ambitious overhaul of the immigration system that would include a path to citizenship for most of the 11 million illegal immigrants in the country, senior administration officials and lawmakers said last week.

Mr. Obama and Senate Democrats will propose the changes in one comprehensive bill, the officials said, resisting efforts by some Republicans to break the overhaul into smaller pieces — separately addressing young illegal immigrants, migrant farmworkers or highly skilled foreigners — which might be easier for reluctant members of their party to accept.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/13/us/politics/obama-plans-to-push-congress-on-immigration-overhaul.html?_r=0

---

I feel like I'm getting a pony these days.

[TwilightGardener]

1. This is good. Don't drag it out.

[MADem]

14. Yes. He can't dally--those Dream Act folks are working off an Executive Order, for now.

If a Bush-like person follows POTUS, that person could wipe their ass with that EO.

Can't have that, can we? One fell swoop is the way to go.

[TwilightGardener]

23. Breaking it into pieces will also expose the elements

to many separate incidents of Republican blocking, tampering, shelving, delaying, poison pills, etc.

[riderinthestorm]

2. I'm really interested in hearing the details on this. Very exciting news and WAY overdue K&R nt

[leveymg]

3. CIR, unless a joint Bill with big name GOP, likely won't pass the House. May have to be split up

the Bill. That's how it's been for years, and nothing has really changed.

[kardonb]

11. immigr. reform

the repukes will, have their usual giant hissy-spits , and "absolutely no " reaction . Just roll over them and get it done anyway !

[CreekDog]

17. no, they will try to obstruct small bills and large ones

to get one immigration bill to the floor will require a herculian effort.

5 or 10?

yikes.

[tavalon]

20. Except that our President is actually using the media to his advantage

Better than backroom deals, IMO.

[hack89]

4. This is great news. nt

[Turbineguy]

5. Just looking at the headline...

Orley Taitz would be pleased.

[Cirque du So-What]

10. My first thought as well

All those teabaggers in the birther sect going, 'ah HA! Told ya he was a Kenyan!'

[Coyotl]

6. Details, details, details?????

For those with poor memory, the details were not very acceptable in previous reform proposals.

[alp227]

15. Article also has details re immigration/employment

The president’s plan would also impose nationwide verification of legal status for all newly hired workers; add visas to relieve backlogs and allow highly skilled immigrants to stay; and create some form of guest-worker program to bring in low-wage immigrants in the future.

[Coyotl]

24. A "guest-worker program to bring in low-wage immigrants" = a non-voter sub-class, people of color

This is where the left will not want to go, to create a racial sub-class.

[TomCADem]

7. Will Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz Filibuster As "Amnesty"?

Many Republicans deride the children of undocumented immigrants as "illegals" and criminals. Marco Rubio distanced himself from Kay Hutchens' proposed immigration bill, which created a second class of non-citizens.

[DreWId]

8. Binational Gay Couples?

What about binational gay couples? I know they were listed as a lower deportation priority or something, but are they included in an equal path to citizenship?

[oldhippydude]

9. it's called we dare you...

vote it down loose in 14, and stay out of power for a generation.... way to play it

[graham4anything]

12. 100% citizenship 100% amnesty

This is the way I would do it.

as these people are here, blanket immunity, like Jimmy Carter did to those who left the nation during the war as conscientious objectors.

and if the repubs say no, it's their losses that will acrue in 2016 and 2014 and 2018

the nation is watching.

Hope this is a real article.

[alp227]

13. But what about the illegal immigrants who commit other crimes?

[alp227]

16. Uh oh, are right wing groups paying people to storm the nytimes.com comments?

Normally NYTimes.com and NPR.org comment sections are a breath of fresh air from comments sections on other news sites. However, in the "readers' picks" section, the most-liked comment sounds like it's from someone paid by a RW think tank:

I am a registered Democrat, and a naturalized citizen, and am against this bill. It rewards people who break the law - both the illegal immigrants as well as their employers. It is a slap in the face to those who a) wait patiently to do it legally, or b)don't venture here at all because they don't want to do it illegally.

Most of all, this is unfair to American citizens who work in the same jobs as the illegal immigrants. Seems to me, Pres. Obama and the Democrats do not care about this.

This move is nothing but pandering to the lobby, while ignoring the views of citizens. This is wrong.

For starters this will put a tremendous burden on our social programs...

As in 1986, all the lip service to enforcement notwithstanding, the Democrats will ignore the enforcement provisions and the flow of illegals will continue unabated. Indeed, this move will encourage more illegals to come, knowing that it is always a matter of time before there is one more amnesty...

Join NumbersUSA and open a direct line to your lawmakers if you want to resist this move.

--Most NYT commenters will use a name and city, but this commenter = "qwer (from "here&quot "

The second-most-liked comment ended with:

In truth, illegal aliens have invaded our nation, leaving America vulnerable to undetected crime, terrorism, disease, and financial devastation at the hands of people with no legal or moral justification for being here.

And the third-most-liked comment is basically "I voted for Obama but am disappointed that he's pandering to the illegals". Again sounds like an organized RW operation:

In the last election, I voted for Barack Obama based on his pledge to improve the well-being of AMERICAN middle-class families. Where is the jobs program? Where is increased funding for education? How is granting citizenship to 11,000,000 illegal aliens -- most of whom don't speak English and do not even have a high school diploma -- going to help AMERICAN middle-class families? The last presidential election was decided by way less than 11,000,000 votes. Why should we give the power to elect an AMERICAN president to ex-pats from Mexico? In what universe is this not amnesty? Why did we build that fence?

At least the "NYT picks" section has more rational commenters, who at least included actual names/cities. First from a Tim McCoy from NYC:

I know this is too much to ask for, but might this Administration please try and avoid the kind of "resolution" to illegal immigration that the Reagan Administration came up with almost a generation and a half ago?

Otherwise, the joke will be how long the next wave of illegal immigrants will have to wait for another "resolution."

Even reopening Ellis Island would be better.

And then...

I have British friends who came here legally and jumped through all the hoops to become U.S. citizens. It took them 10 years. As long as the president's plan includes all the hurdles for those who came illegally, I have no problem. But if they're allowed to jump the line or if getting in line is automatic, I think it's a flawed plan.

The third:

This has already been a long and drawn out process to date. It is time to end that and resolve all the issues. It would be inhumane not to provide a path to citizenship. We are a nation of immigrants. My grandfather was deported twice but eventually he gained citizenship. If you look at the recent influx of immigrants, it became pronounced the last time, during the Bush Administration, when there was an economic boom, a need for cheap labor, so on and so on. To believe that we are not responsible as a nation for the conditions of the immigrants today, we would have to be totally oblivious to reality. The fact that this is not the first time we have had a need to do this in the last 30 or so years, speaks volumes about our abuse of immigrants and our failure to have a humane and functional policy.

[Ztolkins]

22. Since when has terrorism gone "unnoticed"?

Also, who voted for Obama in '12 and would be surprised by this?

[lib2DaBone]

18. I paid into Social Security my whole life....

So this means that Social Security is not "Solvent".. because there are too many non-payers... so I have to sacrifice my retirement?

Thanks Alot....

[Coyotl]

25. You forget how many "illegal" workers have paid into your social security trust fund

and those workers will never draw a dime of what they pay in.

[tavalon]

19. My first thought when I saw this was, "OMG, we ARE getting the pony!"

Great minds. LOL

[Socal31]

21. Gotta get on this quick.

If Hannity figured it out already, then it won't be long before the people who listen to him will.