Path to Citizenship Possible Hurdle to U.S. Immigration Rewrite

Bloomberg

By Kathleen Hunter and Lisa Lerer

January 30, 2013

http://www.sfgate.com/business/bloomberg/article/Path-to-Citizenship-Possible-Hurdle-to-U-S-4234287.php#ixzz2JSrUzqpG

Providing a path to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants is emerging as a potential stumbling block to rewriting U.S. immigration policy.

Republican senators who endorsed a bipartisan framework for the most significant revision of immigration law in almost three decades criticized a White House plan for not requiring tighter border security as a condition of a path to citizenship.

“One of the things that’s very important to me is to make sure that the enforcement mechanisms happen,” Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, one of four Republicans backing the Senate blueprint, said in an interview. “The mistake that’s been made in the past is that while the legalization happened, the enforcement didn’t, and it led to the 11 million people that are here.”

President Barack Obama is seeking to harness political momentum following his strong support from Hispanic voters in November to enact new immigration policy. Democrats say they are encouraged that an increasing number of Republicans have dropped their opposition to providing a path to citizenship as part of such a move.

“The good news is that, for the first time in many years, Republicans and Democrats seem ready to tackle this problem together,” Obama told a cheering audience yesterday at Del Sol High School in Las Vegas. “At this moment, it looks like there’s a genuine desire to get this done soon.”

Still, differences between the president’s outline and the Senate framework are coming into focus, most notably over conditions for allowing those already in the country illegally to become citizens.

Border Security

In addition to tightened border security, Republicans want a citizenship path to hinge on tracking people in the U.S. on visas. A commission of governors, community members, and attorneys general living on the Southwest border would make a recommendation when the security measures are completed.

The White House plan doesn’t link citizenship to security, out of concerns that a longer process could make it almost impossible for those immigrants to gain full status.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported 396,906 people in fiscal year 2011 and a record 409,849 in fiscal 2012 according to figures released by the agency, part of the Department of Homeland Security.

Obama also supports equal treatment of same-sex couples when one partner is from outside the U.S. That provision isn’t included in the Senate framework and may be opposed by some Republicans.

“We hope the president is careful not to drag the debate to the left and ultimately disrupt the difficult work that is ahead in the House and Senate,” Brendan Buck, a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, said following Obama’s remarks.

Hispanic Voters

Boehner, of Ohio, is among Republicans who have said the party must find a more positive approach to immigration policy. Hispanics, a rapidly growing group of U.S. voters, cast 71 percent of their votes for Obama on Nov. 6, according to exit polls.

The increasing political clout of Hispanic voters, who make up 10 percent of the electorate and 16.7 percent of the population, has prompted Republicans who long opposed an immigration overhaul to reevaluate their position.

An immigration rewrite has drawn the backing of religious organizations, law enforcement, and companies including Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Goldman Sachs, Microsoft Corp., Intel Corp., and Google Inc. as they seek to hire more foreign workers.

Labor Force

Of the 47 million new workers entering the labor force between 2010 and 2050, a projected 37.6 million will be Hispanic, according to an October 2012 Bureau of Labor Statistics report. The percentage of Hispanics in the workforce will grow to 18.6 percent by 2020 and to 30 percent in 2050, doubling from 15 percent in 2010, according to the report.

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