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President Barack Obama speaks during at a campaign rally at the Cheyenne Sports Complex near the College of Southern Nevada in North Las Vegas Thursday, Nov. 1, 2012.
By Karoun Demirjian (contact) 
Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013 | 2 a.m.
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama will kick off his public push for immigration reform with a visit to Las Vegas today. But as he hits the road to deliver his argument to voters outside the Beltway, the center of the immigration debate appears to be settling squarely in Washington.
Late Sunday, news broke that a bipartisan group of eight senators had struck a deal on a framework for immigration reform, agreeing to balance enhancing enforcement measures to prevent illegal immigration with establishing a “tough but fair” pathway to citizenship for the undocumented immigrants already in the United States.
The announcement of a bipartisan framework puts new momentum and urgency behind the drive toward comprehensive immigration reform, which the president planned to spearhead with his own plan in Las Vegas.
But it also is a stark reminder of where this has gone wrong before — and why, in 2013, things need to be different if Obama wants to cement immigration reform as part of his legacy.
When he speaks in Las Vegas, Obama is expected to lay out a plan for immigration reform in an effort to build public support for his approach.
When the president returns to Washington, his spokesman Jay Carney said Obama will be committed to working with lawmakers “to help bring about a result that is a detailed, specific bill that can win bipartisan support in Congress and that this president can sign.”
On Monday, however, Carney simultaneously praised and downplayed the significance of the senators’ deal.
“This is an important first step that we’ve seen from Congress,” Carney said. “The goal here is not for everyone just to get together and say we share common principles but to achieve legislation that gets the job done.”
To some extent, the two go hand in hand. Because the House is controlled by Republicans and the Senate is controlled by Democrats, any issue — especially one that has been as controversial as immigration reform — must be a bipartisan effort if it is to have a chance of succeeding.
To that end, the four Democratic senators and four Republican senators agreed on four principles:
• Create a pathway to citizenship for the current undocumented population.
• Reform the legal immigration system to make it more responsive to the demands of the economy and family reunification.
• Establish an employment verification system.
• Establish an improved process for admitting future workers.
All of those elements also appear in Obama’s plans for a revamped immigration system.
“The president welcomes the efforts by the bipartisan group in the Senate to put forward principles on the need for comprehensive reform — principles that mirror the president’s blueprint, which, as you know, he has been pressing for some time,” Carney said Monday.
But differences between Obama and the bipartisan group of senators are already emerging over the details that will flesh out that framework.
For example: Six years ago, when the Senate last seriously tackled immigration reform, the bipartisan deal that lawmakers struck coalesced around the concept of a “trigger” — essentially, delaying the pathway to citizenship until the achievement of fully secured borders.
Obama did not endorse such a trigger in the immigration blueprint he released in May 2011. But on Monday, leaders of the group of eight senators embraced a triggered structure outright.
“To prove to the American people that we are serious about permanently ending illegal immigration to the U.S., we say that we will never put these individuals on a path to citizenship until we have fully secured our borders and combated the pattern of people overstaying their legal, immigration visas,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
Meanwhile, a BuzzFeed report Monday night indicated the president plans to extend immigration rights, including the right to extend citizenship through marriage, to same-sex couples in the framework he will lay out in Las Vegas. The bipartisan senators’ proposal does not include initiatives to facilitate immigration for same-sex couples.
Although the details have yet to emerge, Democrats and Republicans agree the last election demonstrated voters expect Congress to act on immigration reform.
“Elections, elections. The Republican Party is losing the support of our Hispanic citizens,” Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said Monday.
“The politics on this issue have been turned upside down,” Schumer said. “For the first time ever, there’s more political risk in opposing immigration reform than supporting it.”
Harry Reid
The importance of immigration in elections is something Obama learned well in Nevada, where the power of the Hispanic vote helped power his campaign to victories in 2008 and 2012. The Hispanic vote also helped propel Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to victory over Sharron Angle in 2010. Though immigration reform is not a top-ranking issue for Hispanic voters, it is a litmus test for that electorate — and one that Democrats have been passing with flying colors, claiming about 70 percent of the Hispanic vote in the past several elections.
Even Republicans who have managed to survive those odds know that a viable political future in Nevada depends on being on the right side of the Hispanic population.
Dean Heller
Sen. Dean Heller, the only Republican to win his Senate race in a state Obama also won in 2012, strongly embraced the principles of the Dream Act in the wake of his election and spoke highly of Obama’s efforts and of the Senate proposal Monday.
“This bipartisan group of senators has provided a reasonable starting point for Republicans and Democrats to work together. I support many of the principles included in this plan and look forward to reviewing specific details in the weeks and months ahead,” Heller said in a statement. “As the president prepares to release his own ideas for immigration reform, it is my hope that he looks to this bipartisan proposal as a blueprint for his plans moving forward.”
The senators who unveiled their framework of principles Monday said they expect finish drafting hard legislation by March and hope that it will pass the Senate by late spring or early summer — a timeline that Reid seems to be fine with.
“It’s very important to me, personally, that we resolve this issue,” Reid said Monday, praising the group of senators for their proposal and promising to do “everything in my power as majority leader” to bring it to the floor for a vote once drafted.
“Nothing short of bipartisan success is acceptable to me,” Reid said.
Maybe if the illegals paid income taxes, WE, LEGAL CITIZENS, wouldn't have to have our taxes so much higher this year!!!
REMEMBER THIS.........if legalization is given to 12 MILLION illegal aliens they will be eligible to bring their relatives into the U.S. 12 MILLION will turn into 50 MILLION or more!!!
Complaining here does no good. DO SOMETHING.
Help stop ANOTHER Amnesty:
SUPPORT NUMBERSUSA: http://www.numbersusa.com
Numbersusa is a grassroot organization with 1.3 million members, who lobbies in Washington D.C. against illegal immigration and they will show what YOU can do to help. Be sure to sign up for their e-mails that will let you know when the latest bills dealing with illegal immigration are being introduced and how YOU can make a difference! Support Numbersusa!
"On Monday, however, Carney downplayed the significance of the senators' deal."
Obama just can not take a win
why not
"For example: Six years ago, when the Senate last seriously tackled immigration reform, the bipartisan deal that lawmakers struck coalesced around the concept of a "trigger" -- essentially, delaying the pathway to citizenship until the achievement of fully secured borders.
Obama did not endorse such a trigger in the immigration blueprint he released in May 2011. But on Monday, leaders of the group of eight senators embraced a triggered structure outright."
As we know if we do not have the secure border FIRST everything fails
Obama will do what ever it takes to kill the deal
Why to keep this as a wedge issue against Republicans like Rubio
Part 1 of 2:
Let's all start singing the chorus from West Side Story, "I like to be in America, okay for me in America, everything FREE in America, that's okay for me in America"! That song has been sung by millions as they quietly passed through and circumvented our nation's borders for over a half century.
It is time to not only get down to business, but MEAN it. Lock and secure our nation's borders, require utilization of E-Verify, and place any and all ILLEGAL individuals with their children into citizenship/residency process internment camps until they gain legal status to be here in the USA.
Our country already has a "path to citizenship." Most of the Commenters here, including myself, have Grandparents who entered the USA legally, and became USA citizens through THAT pathway. What the hell is wrong with US career politicians, that they must pervert an established system that did work, towards propping their lifetime careers?
Any political refugee has a LEGAL avenue for entry, residence, and can utilize the established "path to citizenship." Too many criminals have managed to circumvent a working system, and THAT is what must be addressed. Lock and secure our borders is absolutely right, as Commenters have posted. Demand all employers utilize E-Verify.
Imprison those who blantently disregard the laws of the land. The demand must be on BOTH sides, as the AFL-CIO has uncovered the sad fact that you have those employers who hire "under the table" and of course, there are those who will risk working for them (while avoiding the path for USA citizenship and priveledge/right to work), found in, "Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, questioned a proposal by the Senate group to require illegal immigrants to provide proof of employment before they can gain legal status. Trumka said it could exclude millions of workers "who cannot prove employment because they have been forced to work off the clock or have no employer by virtue of being independent contractors."" ENFORCE E-Verify and end this vicious cycle!
While this mess is being sorted out by our system, put any and ALL ILLEGAL persons, including their anchor children, into USA sponsored interment camps, and allow them to be productive there until they LEGALLY complete the process of legal citizenship status. This is the only way to get compliance with so large and evasive illegal population. While under these conditions: Require proof of US citizenship or legal residency for entering US schools, driver's license, use of social services, etc.; lock and secure our USA borders to send the message we mean it.
Blessings and Peace,
Star
Ohhh the "crazies" will be out in force on this one! Even the conservative Republican leadership is coming to their senses on this one, though driven by the need for votes (welcome to politics).
I know, I know... to many of you, those conservatives are RINOs and will be cut from the flock! Keep-up with your conservative litmus tests and soon your party will be able to hold their national convention in the back room at any Denny's. Geeeeeze....
Even Conservative Icon George Will said Sunday that, even if you could (and you can't) round-up all 12 million illegals, you would would need buses lined-up end to end stretching from San Diego all the way to Alaska to deport them. In short... it ain't gonna happen folks, so could we please get behind the bi-partisan effort to do what's doable and reasonable?
"Establish an employment verification system."........ Now that's a good one!... Obama hits the road to deliver his argument to voters..... Really, the only ones voting are where he just left. I think the most simple fix is to require all illegals to pay 40% income,20% wire transfer fee and 15% SS until they become legal. Require employers of any kind, even day laborers to be E-verified or fine $1000 per person.
Part 2 of 2:
Like another Commenter, I lived in California, and watched for decades, those masses entering our country. In my younger years, I had worked in the fields and packing houses, side by side with these folks, witnessing jobs for legal Americans disappearing due to the blind eye of our political and law enforcement system. After nearly a half a century (that statement sure dates me), these folks have nearly bankrupted our country, and progressively put the likes and standards of a third world country in its place. If we required IQ tests on those ILLEGALLY here in the USA, we would discover that the majority AND their offspring, have seriously LOW IQs, and that now affects our American educational system in a profoundly negative way, and it is out of control, to say the very least. Most all of these children enter our American schools BEHIND, and spend their first five years in the American educational system catching up! That costs taxpayers billions of dollars yearly, and what will we, the taxpayer, get in return? This is the majority coming in, there will be always, the very extreme exceptional few, who are amazing, stellar, and fine examples of what should be (and in reality, is not).
We must narrow the illegal's focus and options by insisting and requiring they secure legal status, and that will only happen by enforcing through internment camps towards legal status. Every other way has FAILED, time has already tested the other possibilities and has already provided the dismal outcomes.
It is time to stop this madness. The USA, that we love and know, the high standards we all once subscribed to, must be preserved and protected, even if it makes some folks "uncomfortable" or "put out" because of their needing to use the internment camp route, but in all honesty, it would be a route that would be most compassionate, fair, and absolutely effective. Enter and live in this country LEGALLY people, and you won't have this problem.
Hopefully, this immigration go round, is NOT more of the same clanging noise,bells, and whistles of failed policies of career politicians.
Blessings and Peace,
Star
Internment camps?!? Um, no.
What we need are very serious penalties given to the people who hire illegal aliens, from businesses all the way down to the private citizen picking up a day laborer, that include massive fines and jail time. If that one thing was done, we'd have far fewer illegal immigrants in this country.
Additionally, we need to have a path to citizenship for the people who are here, first starting with people who were brought here as children and were educated in our schools.
The 86 law failed because there was no enforcement
Obama is anti enforcement
The 8 Senators are pro enforcement.
So let see today If Obama will reject or accept enforcement
Secondly will Obama accept the Green card process before the application for citizenship under the current law
----
Can't we just write them checks and be done with it?
The Department of Homeland Security is promoting welfare benefits for immigrants on its website WelcometoUSA.gov despite a law that seeks to prevent new immigrants from becoming dependent after entering the United States.
The website maintained by DHS goes on to list links to information for immigrants in both English and Spanish for information on Medicaid; Medicare; food stamps; Social Security; Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, which is the program that replaced Aid for Families with Dependent Children after the 1996 welfare reform legislation; and benefits for immigrant survivors of domestic violence.
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/dhs-prom...
Without securing the border there should be no agreement. There are more than 11M Illegal . 11 M was 20 yrs ago. It is closer to 30 M. Didn't our esteemed senator fr Mass (TED K) say in 1985 That with this amnesty of Illegals there will never be future amnesties? Hello.
Welcome back to Las Vegas, Mr. President For Four More Years!
And thank you for turning Nevada solidly blue and sending Mr. 47% Are Just Lazy No-Good Moochers into an early, well-deserved retirement!
Rush Limbaugh is RIGHT when he said on his show that it was up to himself and the Fox News network to stop a bipartisan effort to pass immigration reform! We TeaPublicans are counting on Rush and FoxNews to lead the fight in stopping these kind of people from taking over our America! We realize that amnesty will add trillions of dollars to the debt over time, will increase the use of Medicare and Social Security, and those people will totally abuse our public assistance programs! I want my taxes to go to Americans! We don't need these people here to make our beds, mow our lawns or make coffee. The Heritage Foundation calculates that each poor family of 4 illegal aliens will drain $1.4 million more over a lifetime in benefits than it ever pays in any form of taxes! Don't you see that we are voluntarily being displaced in a country we built from scratch! Thank God we TeaPublicans have Rush Limbaugh and Fox News on our side in the battle to save America as we know it!
Why Las Vegas for this particular speech? Is he trying to punish Wynn, Fertitta, Adelson, and Trump for not supporting him?
Lets be real. Obama is here for one thing only. To pick up another check from one of his employers. the unions...
He will fly in, screw up traffic, kill a few jobs, read what his handlers wrote for him. Collect a few checks and fly back to Washington.
He has no intention of securing the borders. This is just more political theatre at an extreme price to the taxpayers...
They will do nothing but tell us what we want to hear and then do what they want to do and make more excuses for everything....
If they want to be here, round them up and send them to Afghanistan to earn their way in, now we are going to put females on the front line, this is a valid way.
Yuma AZ El Centro CA Merced CA Agricultural areas have 15 to 28% unemployment. More immigrants?
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/calif-ar...
IF YOU are willing to give away half of your projected retirement benefits you are entitled to have an opinion on letting SOME illegals stay. Otherwise, don't expect me and others to pay for your dumb choices. Can't figure 2 plus 2, huh? Wonder why our economy doesn't bounce back? We're still paying to absorb those amnestied in 1986 when politicos PROMISED TO SECURE THE BORDERS. We still don't have a database of student visas and who goes home and who doesn't. We still have Birthing Houses like those in the SF Bay where "vacationing" foreigners give birth--we have to END birth right citizenship for those here on a Work Program, VISA--anyone who is here with temporary permission CANNOT PASS ON CITIZENSHIP. K-12 keeps crying for more money--CCSD has MORE THAN 50,000 ILLEGAL STUDENTS at more than $12,000 per kid per year. There has been no increase in productivity, just an increase in unemployment as ILLEGALS STEAL OUR JOBS. What point is e-verify when you issue work permits to 15 million illegals?
Rhetoric has been that it's unlikely that those who've been here for years and years "can't" be deported. Well, duh. How about those who've been here less than 10 years or even since the economy tanked in 2006 - 2007? They MUST GO HOME. LEGAL immigrants must pass a physical to rule out CONTAGIOUS DISEASES and health issues that would overwhelm our ER's / UMC. We need to REMOVE them from our nation. As "helpful" as the bleeding hearts are we cannot afford health care for the planet by taking in every individual with a serious health issue. Recall the illegals getting dialysis on an emergency basis at UMC for MORE THAN $100k each per year? How can our economy rebound?
HALF the illegals are on one or more WELFARE PROGRAMS plus "non-government" but government-funded non-profit benies such as food banks. Daddy in a job stolen via I.D. theft, Mommy and kids on Welfare. Health care via UMC / ER and vaccines at free clinics at City health depts--paid for by the American taxpayers. Do you really think the courts won't overturn a two-caste society if we issued residency permits but did NOT provide 24/7 cradle-to-grave entitlements?
I am so sick and tired of hearing this line: " a lot of folks forget that most of 'us' used to be 'them.' We forget that. It's really important for us to remember our history. Unless you're one of the first Americans, a Native American, you came from someplace else. Somebody brought you.". First of all my great grandparents came to this country legally. They assimilated into the country and learned to speak English. They were not a drain on this country, as a matter of fact they were an asset. This is a way different scenario, and I don't support this. The parents of these " dreamers " came here illegally. I don't care whether they were born in the United States or not. How come I had to show proof of my United States residency showing 5 years of my life from childhood, young adulthood to adulthood to the United States embassy when my child was born and yet, the parents of these dreamers do not have to show anything, and boom their children are automatically United States citizens. Something is totally wrong with this picture!
While neither side is being specific or selective enough when it comes to providing "a path to citizenship for those already here", nor do they address ths side issues of family visas, talk of mass deportations or internment camps is a bunch of nonsensical c**p and like the open borders crowd can be relegated to the 10% fringe that always gets the most media attention but doesn't really matter much in the end. Our laws may be all dorked up, our law enforcement piecemeal & half-hearted, and our politicans a bunch of self-serving a** kissers that shouldn't be trusted -- but that doesn't mean we need to throw up our arms and give up (let anyone in, or conversely, deport them all). Rubio & the gang have some solid ideas to start with, so lets see them on paper and hash 'em out. (O's just spinning, like usual, and will quickly lose interest like before.)
IF they want to follow the path, there are hoops. IF NOT, they get endless welfare and free heath care--from childbirth of their next generation to grave for them. No need to conform to anything in the American culture, just keep on taking.
We are a nation of LEGAL immigrants.
A lot of folks posting how outrageous Obama's proposal and Congress' bipartisan proposal are probably should quickly learn how to do your landscape, wash your own car, do your laundry, and clean your pool yourself. Because in a few years, you're going to have to.
These illegal immigrants will want fully paid medical benefits through medicaid. We just cannot afford to pay for all this stuff. Obama wants to bankrupt this country.
I've been cutting my own grass, washing my own car (in the driveway) doing my own laundry... never cleaned a pool because I never had one but my husband cleaned his childhood home pool....maybe people with teenagers should send THEM outside to do some yard work and pool cleaning... they could learn to pick up their own dog sht out of the yard too....it might keep some of these kids off the streets and out of trouble... while they're at it they can learn to do a little house-keeping while they're at it - boys and girls alike - I don't think hard-working, honest Americans will stress too terribly much if they're faced with these mundane chores... heck, at my age I'll just pay some little American kid, looking to make some extra cash, to cut my grass.
Another successful pander from the panderer-in-chief. Get them all on SSDI and Medicaid immediately.
Plan B: issue agriculture GUEST work permits to 1 million illegal graduates on a TEMPORARY basis while SECURING the borders and tracking VISAs and work permits. Additionally, issue regulations that those with any type of work permit to NOT have any means to "pass on" birth-right citizenship.