Immigration Reform to Be Debated – Obama Declares his Support

After preliminary votes passed the bipartisan immigration reform onto the debate stage—evidence of Congress’s desire to discuss the matter—President Barack Obama offered a cautious endorsement of the proposal and deemed it a way to solve the current broken system of immigration.
According to Obama, Congress needs to act to fix an immigration system that is both inefficient and many decades old. He further added that blocking the bill would mean wasting the best opportunity that the country has had in many years to regularize and improve the situation.
Obama showed his support for a bill that could mark a difference in comparison to the budget and gun violence bills, as these were also discussed—and counted on the President’s support—yet did not get passed. However, the high percentage of positive procedural votes for this bill, compared to the last time the reform was debated in 2007, gives the supporters of the bill more hope.

High Expectations

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, from Florida, stated that around half of the 46 Republican senators might vote in favor of the bill if Congress could agree on some changes in relation to the tightening of border security. Combined with the majority of Democrat votes, the 46 Republican votes would effectively introduce a law that would give 11 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. a chance to become American citizens.
President Obama argued that even though these immigrants had broken the law, they should still be given an opportunity as, generally, they are not looking for trouble, but rather trying to find a way to support their families.

What Will Happen to Immigrants Living Illegally in the U.S.?

The bill provides a process for illegal immigrants to achieve legal status as an American citizen, but only after a series of measures that includes the payment of fines, the repayment of taxes, English language lessons, and returning to the group of applicants who continue to wait for their citizenship. The entire process is expected to take up to 13 years.
However, many citizens, including Texan Senator John Cornyn, argue that, even with the requirements, providing immigrants with an opportunity to regularize their situation means rewarding law-breakers. In response, President Obama has stated that the law should be seen as a compromise between the parties involved, in which no side gets exactly what it wants, but rather, a solution to fix the American immigration system is negotiated.
The bill also seeks to eliminate the favoring of family ties over job skills and education, as the latter will assist the country in areas such as technology.