LAS VEGAS — Declaring that America’s immigration system is broken, President Obama on Tuesday called for a process to allow millions of illegal immigrants in the country to apply for citizenship, and he warned that he would send his own bill to Congress if lawmakers deadlock on a new Senate proposal.
In his first trip outside Washington since beginning his second term, Obama added to momentum on Capitol Hill in favor of an overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws, setting forth the principles for a top second-term priority — and perhaps the one most likely to be accomplished.
“We need Congress to act on a comprehensive approach that finally deals with the 11 million undocumented immigrants who are in this country right now,” Obama said.
“Now’s the time,” he said repeatedly.
At a public high school in a state with a population that is 27 percent Hispanic, Obama outlined the steps illegal immigrants could take to apply for citizenship. They would register, submit biometric data, pass background checks and pay fees before gaining a provisional legal status. After gaining a “provisional legacy status” and learning English, the immigrants would wait in line for existing immigration backlogs to clear before applying for permanent residency and citizenship.
“There will be no uncertainty about their ability to become U.S. citizens if they meet these eligibility criteria,” according to a White House briefing document.
“We have to bring this shadow economy into the light so that everybody is accountable,” Obama said in his speech. He said he hopes that proposal “provides some key markers to members of Congress as they craft a bill.”
While welcoming a newly announced Senate plan, Obama ventured beyond it in several respects. He said a framework for comprehensive immigration reform that was announced by a bipartisan group of senators Monday is “very much in line with the principles I’ve proposed and campaigned on for the last few years.”
But he warned that if lawmakers are unable to agree on legislation, “I will send up a bill based on my proposals and insist that they vote on it right away.”
According to the proposal Obama made Tuesday, released to reporters under embargo, children brought to the United States illegally would be eligible for an expedited process if they go to college or serve in the military for at least two years.
Obama is kicking off a public effort to revise immigration laws after an unsuccessful effort in his first term — something he said he regards as his biggest regret — and after President George W. Bush tried unsuccessfully to overhaul immigration policy in his second term.
This year, Republicans seem more open than in the past to rewriting the nation’s immigration laws, with rising stars such as Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) pushing to move ahead and demographic changes in the country weighing heavily on the GOP’s political fortunes.
Obama’s principles largely mirror the work that a bipartisan Senate group seeking to overhaul immigration laws released Monday.
“The good news is that — for the first time in many years — Republicans and Democrats seem ready to tackle this problem together,” Obama said. “Members of both parties, in both chambers, are actively working on a solution.”
He said the Senate group’s proposal is “very much in line with the principles I’ve proposed and campaigned on for the last few years. At this moment, it looks like there’s a genuine desire to get this done soon. And that’s very encouraging.”
But the two approaches differ, with the president proposing an unconditional pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants. The Senate plan links such a process to additional steps to enforce border security.
In his proposal Tuesday, Obama made clear that he was not planning to loosen border security and enforcement, but he also noted that the administration has made substantial progress on this front already. Looking forward, the administration said it would seek to phase in electronic employment verification programs at companies.
But it was the proposal for easing immigration restrictions that were sure to garner the most attention. The proposal seeks to expedite applications from immigrants who are family members of existing residents or citizens.
For the first time, it would allow citizens and permanent residents to seek a visa for a same-sex partner.
To help recruit science and engineering professionals to stay in the country, Obama’s proposal would offer green cards to people who have received master’s degrees or doctorates from American universities in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics and have also obtained employment in the United States.
Obama unveils his own proposal for immigration reform
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Obama unveils his own proposal for immigration reform
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Obama unveils his own proposal for immigration reform
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