EL PASO, Tex. —President Obama called Tuesday for renewed efforts to pass comprehensive immigration reform, declaring it an “economic imperative” for the United States and pledging to lead a “constructive and civil debate” on immigration issues.
In a speech during his first visit as president to the U.S.-Mexican border, Obama also challenged congressional Republicans to make good on previous pledges to move forward on immigration reform once measures to secure the border were implemented. Saying that “we’ve answered those concerns” over the last two years by strengthening border security beyond expectations, Obama pointed to buildups in manpower, technology and other measures along the 2,000-mile border that he said have led to a dramatic drop in illegal border crossings, increased seizures of drugs, guns and money and a sharp decline in violent crime in Southwestern border counties.
“We have gone above and beyond what was requested by the very Republicans who said that supported broader reform as long as we got serious about enforcement,” Obama said. “All the stuff they’ve asked for, we’ve done.”
Yet, he said, there are still “some who are trying to move the goalposts on us one more time.” After the Border Patrol has doubled in size since 2004 and a border fence has been built, some critics have demanded that the force be tripled, he said.
“Now they’re going to say we need to quadruple the Border Patrol,” Obama joked. “Or they’ll want a higher fence. Maybe they’ll need a moat. Maybe they want alligators in the moat.”
He added: “They’ll never be satisfied. . . . That’s politics.”
Obama told the crowd, “We need to keep up the fight to pass genuine comprehensive reform. . . . We can do it.” The audience responded with a chant from Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, “Yes, we can!”
He said, “The question is whether those in Congress who previously walked away in the name of enforcement are now ready to come back to the table and finish the work we started.” He promised that “I’m going to do my part to lead a constructive and civil debate on these issues.”
During his border visit, Obama sought to take credit for an accomplishment that eluded predecessors in both parties: successfully cracking down on illegal immigration.
It is a record that Republicans roundly dispute. And it has drawn fire from many in Obama’s Latino base, who say the president has stepped up enforcement measures such as deportations while failing to deliver on his pledge to create a path to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants.
But in using his speech in El Paso to highlight his enforcement record, Obama signaled that he intends to try turning the immigration debate into a political winner among conservative swing voters who back tougher immigration policies.
“He is championing what Latinos are looking for, which is real immigration reform, while at the same time he is being a spokesperson for serious improvements in border enforcement, which independent voters support,” said Doris Meissner, who was the Clinton administration’s top immigration official.
SOURCE:WASHINGTON POST
No comments:
Post a Comment