Yesterday’s White House meeting between President Obama and a group of lawmakers is the first step toward immigration reform. In itself, the start does not guarantee that new legislation will be feasible this year despite the urgent need, but the fact that it has begun is hopeful.
One reason for high expectations is Wednesday’s proposal made by Senate Subcommittee on Immigration Chair, Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY). The points laid out in the plan are generally a good starting place for negotiations, although the details remain to be seen and will ultimately determine whether the final bill is acceptable.
President Obama’s involvement in this issue is key to the process, especially given that there are so many national issues competing for his attention. At the same time, without the president putting his full weight behind immigration reform, it will be hard to get other lawmakers to support it when the time comes.
We believe it is necessary to change immigration laws this year. There are many political, economic and human reasons for this urgency.
Politically, reform may be too thorny of an issue, too easily politicized, if taken up during an election cycle like next year. From an economic point of view, the flow of labor must be regulated to find a balance between the number of foreign workers without displacing Americans.
Finally, it is essential to bring millions of people who have been contributing their work to our country out of the shadows. Normalizing the status of the undocumented would give them stability and prevent them from being exploited by employers who take advantage of their precarious situation.
After today’s meeting, the president said that for reform to be possible a "victory for practicality, common sense, and good policy over short term politics" will be needed. The cards are now on the table. We hope that they will be well played.
Yesterday’s White House meeting between President Obama and a group of lawmakers is the first step toward immigration reform. In itself, the start does not guarantee that new legislation will be feasible this year despite the urgent need, but the fact that it has begun is hopeful.
One reason for high expectations is Wednesday’s proposal made by Senate Subcommittee on Immigration Chair, Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY). The points laid out in the plan are generally a good starting place for negotiations, although the details remain to be seen and will ultimately determine whether the final bill is acceptable.
President Obama’s involvement in this issue is key to the process, especially given that there are so many national issues competing for his attention. At the same time, without the president putting his full weight behind immigration reform, it will be hard to get other lawmakers to support it when the time comes.
We believe it is necessary to change immigration laws this year. There are many political, economic and human reasons for this urgency.
Politically, reform may be too thorny of an issue, too easily politicized, if taken up during an election cycle like next year. From an economic point of view, the flow of labor must be regulated to find a balance between the number of foreign workers without displacing Americans.
Finally, it is essential to bring millions of people who have been contributing their work to our country out of the shadows. Normalizing the status of the undocumented would give them stability and prevent them from being exploited by employers who take advantage of their precarious situation.
