Revivalism: The President"s Struggle to Sell His Plan for Immigration Reform
In recent weeks, President Obama has been pressured by pro-immigration groups to act on immigration reform.
As a response to these groups and as an attempt to fulfill one of his campaign promises, the president has been seen once again fighting to sell his immigration plan to congress and the American people.
As one of his efforts, President Obama has conducted a series of immigration meetings at the White House that have included community leaders, faith followers, and law enforcement officials.
On May 4th, the president invited the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) to the White House for an in-depth discussion about immigration reform, the challenges it faces, and the steps necessary to work towards a bipartisan solution.
During the meeting, President Obama reiterated the notion that his hands are tied in any progress of immigration reform unless congress acts legislatively.
In response, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus asked the president to use his administrative powers to provide relief to individuals who would qualify for the DREAM Act, which would open up a path to citizenship for those undocumented immigrants who entered the country before the age of sixteen, graduated from a U.
S.
high school, and attend community college or serve in the military after graduation.
Rep.
Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), a fierce advocate for immigration reform and a member of the CHC, spoke about the outcome of the meeting.
"It was a productive meeting and there is no longer a debate over whether the President has broad discretionary powers when it comes to deportations.
The question is how broad and how generous the President chooses to be.
" According to Rep.
Luis Gutierrez, the meeting was not only about granting legal status to the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants in the country, but also about how to prioritize deportations on dangerous individuals such as gang members, drug dealers, and murderers, instead of using limited resources to deport immigrants who would qualify for the DREAM Act and could eventually contribute to the economy.
With a contentious division and anti-immigrant sentiment heavily present all across the country, it has become extremely difficult for the president to push congress to come to a consensus on how to address the issue of immigration.
The president's immigration plan includes things such as; an increment in border security, hunting down those who hire illegal immigrants, and granting a path to citizenship to the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants who are currently living in the country.
As the president heads to El Paso, Texas on Tuesday, May 10th, to deliver a speech on immigration reform, many of the big players in Washington are gearing up for the next election.
Although it seems unlikely that the president will have the support necessary to take on the issue of immigration before the end of this year, it is critical for the president to portray immigration reform as an asset and a positive factor to our economy.
Only then, will he be able to win the hearts of both congress and the American people and be able to move forward with a bipartisan solution.
As a response to these groups and as an attempt to fulfill one of his campaign promises, the president has been seen once again fighting to sell his immigration plan to congress and the American people.
As one of his efforts, President Obama has conducted a series of immigration meetings at the White House that have included community leaders, faith followers, and law enforcement officials.
On May 4th, the president invited the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) to the White House for an in-depth discussion about immigration reform, the challenges it faces, and the steps necessary to work towards a bipartisan solution.
During the meeting, President Obama reiterated the notion that his hands are tied in any progress of immigration reform unless congress acts legislatively.
In response, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus asked the president to use his administrative powers to provide relief to individuals who would qualify for the DREAM Act, which would open up a path to citizenship for those undocumented immigrants who entered the country before the age of sixteen, graduated from a U.
S.
high school, and attend community college or serve in the military after graduation.
Rep.
Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), a fierce advocate for immigration reform and a member of the CHC, spoke about the outcome of the meeting.
"It was a productive meeting and there is no longer a debate over whether the President has broad discretionary powers when it comes to deportations.
The question is how broad and how generous the President chooses to be.
" According to Rep.
Luis Gutierrez, the meeting was not only about granting legal status to the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants in the country, but also about how to prioritize deportations on dangerous individuals such as gang members, drug dealers, and murderers, instead of using limited resources to deport immigrants who would qualify for the DREAM Act and could eventually contribute to the economy.
With a contentious division and anti-immigrant sentiment heavily present all across the country, it has become extremely difficult for the president to push congress to come to a consensus on how to address the issue of immigration.
The president's immigration plan includes things such as; an increment in border security, hunting down those who hire illegal immigrants, and granting a path to citizenship to the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants who are currently living in the country.
As the president heads to El Paso, Texas on Tuesday, May 10th, to deliver a speech on immigration reform, many of the big players in Washington are gearing up for the next election.
Although it seems unlikely that the president will have the support necessary to take on the issue of immigration before the end of this year, it is critical for the president to portray immigration reform as an asset and a positive factor to our economy.
Only then, will he be able to win the hearts of both congress and the American people and be able to move forward with a bipartisan solution.
