Thursday, July 1, 2010

Obama's Speech on Immigration: Why Now?

Today, President Obama will deliver a major speech on comprehensive immigration reform. But the lackluster effort by Congress to create a bipartisan bill, and the ever-rising rate of deportations, leads us to ask: Mr. President, why now?

The Daily Beast's Bryan Curtis offers an incisive assessment of the timing of the president's speech in this article. Bottom line: When the Obama administration took office, we expected bold leadership on humane immigration reform but that promise has not yet been fulfilled. The humanitarian crisis stemming from the broken immigration system has become increasingly severe.

Stay tuned for an analysis of the speech later today.

1 comment:

  1. Thanks, Rebecca. Yes, the omissions in his speech were disturbing, and the speech fell very short. He should have mentioned divided families and passing The Dream Act. Even some Republicans are sympathetic to these situations.

    But I am encouraged by President Obama’s appointment of former Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt to a high-level job with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Chief Hurt opposed 287g in Houston, a sanctuary city, and only agreed to enforce 287g as it applied to criminal cases.

    We must keep pressuring President Obama to promote immigration reform, but we also need to keep the pressure up on our congressmen and senators.

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