President Obama made good on his inaugural promise to push immigration reform. Obama outlined a new plan to tackle immigration in Nevada Tuesday (Jan. 29), where the Latino population in the state is roughly 27 percent. The commander in chief spoke to a crowd at a predominately Hispanic high school in Las Vegas stating that “now is the time,” to fix a system that is outdated and “badly broken.”
Although members of Congress have yet to throw full support behind his four-part plan, Obama expressed optimism. “At this moment, it looks like there’s a genuine desire to get this done soon. And that’s very encouraging,” he said.
According to his proposal, continuing to strengthen border security, cracking down on employers that hire undocumented workers, creating a path to earned citizenship, and streamlining our legal immigration system will get the job done. “We can’t allow immigration reform to get bogged down in an endless debate. We’ve been debating this a very long time,” the POTUS explained. “As a consequence, to help move this process along, today I’m laying out my ideas for immigration reform.”
The president’s blueprint comes after criticism from Latino activists over his failure to make good on the pledge originally made during his 2008 campaign. Immigration reform was one of the pillars of his re-election campaign last year, and helped to further distance him from opponent Mitt Romney, during his bid for a second term.
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Photo: Isaac Brekken/AP
