Obama: Economy, GOP Derailed Immigration Overhaul

WALL STREET JOURNAL

By Jared Favole

September 20, 2012

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2012/09/20/obama-economy-gop-derailed-immigration-overhaul/

President Barack Obama defended his failed efforts to pass an overhaul of the nation'’s immigration system, telling an Hispanic audience that his early push was sidetracked by the financial crisis and the unexpected loss of GOP support.

"“When we talked about immigration reform in the first year, that was before the economy was on the verge of collapse,”" Mr. Obama said Thursday, referring to his campaign promise to get the immigration system overhauled in his first year in office. He added that the financial crisis meant “my first priority was making sure that we prevented us from going into a Great Depression.”

Mr. Obama made his remarks to a mostly friendly crowd at a candidates forum in Florida hosted by Univision, the Spanish-language network.

The comments came a day after Mitt Romney, his Republican rival, appeared at the forum and softened his tone on a range of hot-button issues from health care to immigration in an apparent attempt to woo Latino voters. Mr. Romney told the group that “"This is a campaign about the 100%,"” an apparent effort to correct the impression he gave in a secretly taped video in which he speaks disparagingly about 47% of Americans, saying they view themselves as “victims” and expect government handouts.

Mr. Obama said when you express that sort of attitude “my thinking is maybe you haven’'t gotten around a lot.” He said the American people are hard workers and don’'t want handouts. “Are there people who abuse the system? Yes. Both at the bottom and the top, because there are a whole bunch of millionaires who aren'’t paying taxes at all either.”

Most of the questions directed at the president, however, focused on immigration reform. Mr. Obama said he had to “confess” he was “naive” for not realizing that Republicans -- –including his former presidential opponent, Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.)– -- would withdraw their support for overhauling the immigration system once he was elected.

He said he reached out to Republicans to try to get a deal done but since they didn'’t support it, his hands were tied. When Univision moderator Jorge Ramos asked the president about his biggest failure, Mr. Obama replied, “"Well, you know, Jorge, as you remind me, my biggest failure so far is we haven'’t gotten comprehensive immigration reform done.”"

Mr. Obama said he is disappointed he hasn'’t been able to change the tone in Washington, and during a second term would take his message more to the American people so they can push for change. “"The most important lesson I’'ve learned is that you can'’t change Washington from the inside. You can only change it from the outside,”" he said. “"That'’s how I got elected, and that’'s how the big accomplishments, like health care, got done, was because we mobilized the American people to speak out.”"

On Wednesday, Mr. Romney also spoke about immigration. “"We'’re not going to round up people around the country and deport them."” He also suggested he would favor a Republican version of the Dream Act as an alternative to Mr. Obama’'s recent executive order, which allows many young illegal immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children to avoid deportation temporarily.

Mr. Obama said that decision, announced in June just several months before the election, wasn'’t politically motivated.

Mr. Romney said young people deserve a permanent solution, rather than the temporary one Mr. Obama provided.