| State of the Union and Immigration Reform |
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| Written by Site Administrator |
| Thursday, 11 February 2010 09:33 |
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Friends – Here it is, in case you missed it – the sentence on immigration in the State of the Union. “We should continue the work of fixing our broken immigration system,” President Obama said, “to secure our borders, enforce our laws and ensure that everyone who plays by the rules can contribute to our economy and enrich our nation.” It was just a sentence, but it was an important sentence – because it means that comprehensive immigration reform is still alive, and the president is still committed to advancing it. Let’s not kid ourselves. The special election in Massachusetts made the road ahead harder – at least in the short term. Lawmakers in both parties were spooked by the outpouring of voter anger. And many, on both sides of the aisle, will now be even more afraid than they were before to take a tough vote on what they perceive as a controversial issue. But that’s only the short term – and let’s not extrapolate too far into the future. Because the real lesson of Massachusetts is that American voters want solutions. They want Congress to stop bickering, to put aside radical, partisan proposals and to start working together in a pragmatic, consensual way to solve the tough problems we face as a nation. And if lawmakers can hear that message – hear and respond to it - we could see a dramatic shift in the climate in Washington. This won’t happen overnight, it won’t come easily to either party. But if the climate changes in this way, the chances of passing immigration reform will improve - dramatically. Bottom line: we need to stay engaged. The battle is far from over. Senators Charles Schumer and Lindsey Graham are still working, with business input, to craft an overhaul package. And we employers need to go on making our voices heard – speaking out for immigration reform to boost the nation's economic recovery. Tamar Jacoby President ImmigrationWorks USA |
