President Obama urged Congress to pass an immigration reform bill and supports granting legal status to the 12 million undocumented immigrants currently in the United States.
Obama stated: “We should continue to fix our broken immigration system, enhance border security, enforce the law, and ensure that any immigrant can contribute to our country and economy.”
Obama's assertion for legal status for undocumented immigrants has faced opposition from many Republicans, who believe this action amounts to amnesty for those who violate U.S. laws. This issue remains the biggest political divide in immigration reform.
Texas Republican Senator Cornyn indicated that he is ready to draft a bipartisan immigration bill but stated that the president must actively push for any immigration law that arises this year. He emphasized: “The president cannot expect that nothing will happen just by doing nothing.”
This year's immigration reform faces the obstacle of the midterm elections. Texas Democratic Representative Gonzalez stated that if the president pursues immigration reform in the current environment of saying “no to everything,” he would have great respect for Obama. His Democratic colleague Cuellar also remarked: “Politics should not hinder our immigration reform efforts; I believe the president will keep his promises.”
However, Texas Republican Representative Smith pointed out that recent Republican candidates have defeated their Democratic opponents in two contests, indicating that voters oppose the legalization of undocumented immigrants.
