U.S. President Barack Obama is to call Tuesday for speedy action by Congress to address the immigration status of 11 million undocumented residents in the United States, as lawmakers seek a solution to the long-time hot button issue.
"We need Congress to act on a comprehensive approach that finally
deals with the 11 million undocumented immigrants who are in this
country right now," Obama is to say in a speech in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Consensus on the issue has eluded Washington for years, with
little movement since a failed proposal under former president George
W Bush. November's elections brought immigration into sharp focus for
the conservative Republican Party, whose failure to unseat President
Barack Obama was attributed in large part to the growing bloc of
Latino voters.
"The good news is that - for the first time in many years -
Republicans and Democrats seem ready to tackle this problem
together," said excerpts from Obama's speech released by the White
House. "Members of both parties, in both chambers, are actively
working on a solution."
Obama praised a group of senators from both parties who on Monday
announced a political "breakthrough" proposal to overhaul the
immigration system that would offer illegal immigrants a path to
citizenship tied to tougher border control measures.
The president noted a "a genuine desire to get this done soon.
And that's very encouraging."
The proposal by prominent senators, including Republicans John
McCain and Marco Rubio and Democrats Robert Menendez and Dick Durbin,
would create a roadmap to citizenship, but would tie its
implementation to tougher border controls to curb future illegal
immigration.
The plan would reform the legal immigration system to make it more
responsive to the US economy, create an effective system for
employers to verify the legal status of workers and set up a process
for admitting future workers.
In unveiling their plan, the senators expressed optimism that the
time was right for legitimate reform to make it through Congress,
where Democrats control the Senate and Republicans hold the lower
House of Representatives.
The lawmakers said they hoped to introduce legislation by March
with the aim of passing a measure by late spring or summer.
