Fixing the Immigration System for America’s 21st Century Economy 
 
 "We are the first nation to be founded for the sake of an idea—the idea that each of us deserves the chance to shape our own destiny. That’s why centuries of pioneers and immigrants have risked everything to come here…The future is ours to win. But to get there, we cannot stand still." 
 
 President Obama has laid out his vision for winning the future. To secure prosperity for all Americans, we must out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world, and fixing our broken immigration system plays an important part in our plan. As we work to rebuild the economy, our ability to thrive depends, in part, on restoring responsibility and accountability to our immigration system. 
 
 The President takes seriously his responsibility to enforce our immigration laws. Over the last three years, the Obama Administration has dedicated unprecedented resources to secure our borders, taken important steps to make our interior and worksite enforcement smarter and more effective, and made improvements to the legal immigration system. And in June of 2012, the Department of Homeland Security announced a new process aimed at making the nation’s immigration policy more fair and more efficient by focusing its enforcement resources on the removal of individuals who pose a national security or public safety risk -- by removing the threat of deportation for young people who came to the U.S. as children and are low enforcement priorities. But we cannot solve the problems with our broken immigration system through enforcement alone. 
 
 Over the years, many have attempted to confront this challenge, but passions are great and disagreements run deep. The President knows that this work will not be easy, but the American people demand and deserve a solution. They deserve a 21st century immigration system that meets our economic and national security imperatives and that upholds America’s proud tradition as a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants. They need Democrats, Republicans, and independents to come together to accomplish this critical task. 
 
 President Obama continues to reiterate his deep commitment to fixing the broken immigration system and outlined his vision for a 21st century immigration policy: 
 
 Responsibility by the federal government to secure our borders: Today, our borders are more secure than at any time in the past several decades, and the Administration continues to refine and strengthen its strategy. Enforcement resources should be focused on preventing those who would do our nation harm from entering our country. 
 
 Today, our borders are more secure than at any time in the past several decades, and the Administration continues to refine and strengthen its strategy. Enforcement resources should be focused on preventing those who would do our nation harm from entering our country. Accountability for businesses that break the law by undermining American workers and exploiting undocumented workers: Employers who deliberately hire and exploit undocumented workers must be held accountable. At the same time, we must give employers who want to play by the rules a reliable way to verify that their employees are here legally. 
 
 Employers who deliberately hire and exploit undocumented workers must be held accountable. At the same time, we must give employers who want to play by the rules a reliable way to verify that their employees are here legally. Strengthening our economic competiveness by creating a legal immigration system that reflects our values and diverse needs: Our immigration laws should continue to reunify families and encourage individuals we train in our world-class institutions to stay and develop new technologies and industries in the United States rather than abroad. The law should stop punishing innocent young people whose parents brought them here illegally and give those young men and women a chance to stay in this country if they serve in the military or pursue higher education. A smart 21st century system should also provide farmers a legal way to hire the workers they rely on year after year, and it should improve procedures for employers who seek to hire foreign workers for jobs if U.S. workers are not available. 
 
 Our immigration laws should continue to reunify families and encourage individuals we train in our world-class institutions to stay and develop new technologies and industries in the United States rather than abroad. The law should stop punishing innocent young people whose parents brought them here illegally and give those young men and women a chance to stay in this country if they serve in the military or pursue higher education. A smart 21st century system should also provide farmers a legal way to hire the workers they rely on year after year, and it should improve procedures for employers who seek to hire foreign workers for jobs if U.S. workers are not available. Responsibility from people who are living in the United States illegally: Those people living here illegally must also be held accountable for their actions and get on the right side of the law by registering and undergoing national security and criminal background checks, paying taxes and a penalty, and learning English before they can get in line to become eligible for citizenship. Being a citizen of this country comes not only with rights but also with fundamental responsibilities. We can create a pathway for legal status that is fair and reflects our values. 
 
 Learn More ||||| GREENVILLE, S.C. — At Tommy’s Country Ham House, a popular spot downtown for politics and comfort food, not much has changed since 2007, the last time conservatives here made it crystal clear to politicians how they felt about what they see as amnesty for people who entered the country illegally. 
 
 “What we need to do is put them on a bus,” said Ken Sowell, 63, a lawyer from Greenville, as he ate lunch recently at the diner. “We need to enforce the border. If they want to apply legally more power to them. I don’t think just because a bunch of people violate the law, we ought to change the law for them.” 
 
 Six years ago, the intensity of that kind of sentiment was enough to scuttle immigration overhaul efforts led by President George W. Bush and a bipartisan group of lawmakers, including Senators John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, both Republicans. 
 
 Now, as a new bipartisan group of eight senators, including Mr. Graham and Mr. McCain, try again — this time with President Obama as their partner in the White House — members of Congress will have to overcome deep-seated resistance like that expressed in the restaurant if they are to push legislation forward. 
 
 Republicans are betting that opposition from Tea Party activists and the party’s most conservative supporters will have less impact because of the dire electoral consequences of continuing to take a hard line regarding immigrants. The senators on Monday released a blueprint for a new immigration policy that opens the door to possible citizenship ahead of a Tuesday speech on the subject by Mr. Obama in Las Vegas. 
 
 There is some evidence that the politics of immigration may be changing. Sean Hannity, the conservative host at Fox News, said days after the 2012 presidential election that he has “evolved” on immigration and now supports a comprehensive approach that could “get rid of” the issue for Republicans. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, a rising star in the Republican Party, is pushing his own version of broad immigration changes — and getting praise from conservative icons like Grover Norquist and Ralph Reed. 
 
 But the Republican-controlled House remains a big hurdle. Speaker John A. Boehner on Monday was noncommittal about the emerging proposal, with a spokesman saying that Mr. Boehner “welcomes the work of leaders like Senator Rubio on this issue, and is looking forward to learning more about the proposal.” 
 
 Representative Lamar Smith, Republican of Texas and a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, said that “when you legalize those who are in the country illegally, it costs taxpayers millions of dollars, costs American workers thousands of jobs and encourages more illegal immigration.” 
 
 And if the lunch rush conversation at Tommy’s is any indication, many Republican lawmakers will soon return home to find their constituents just as opposed to the idea as they were before. Concern about immigration varies regionally. But in many Congressional districts around the country, the prospect of intense opposition carries with it the threat of a primary challenger if Republican lawmakers stray too far from hawkish orthodoxy on the issue. 
 
 “The people who are coming across the border — as far as I’m concerned, they are common criminals,” said Bill Storey, 68, a retired civil engineer from Greenville. “We should not adopt policies to reward them for coming into this country illegally. I have all the regard for them in the world if they come through the legal system, but not the illegal system.” 
 
 Charlie Newton, a construction worker in the Greenville area, praised the work ethic of Hispanic co-workers, but said he opposes any laws that would provide benefits to illegal immigrants, including help becoming citizens. 
 
 “I think we need to help our own people before we keep helping somebody else,” he said. 
 
 The president’s proposals are expected to include more border enforcement, work site verification systems that allow employers to check the status of their employees online, and a road map to citizenship for the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants now living in the country. Democratic senators could begin work on a bill in the next couple of weeks. 
 
 In the Fourth Congressional District in South Carolina, which includes Greenville, the formal arrival of such a plan is likely to anger the constituents of Trey Gowdy, a Republican House member who was elected in the 2010 Tea Party wave and is now the chairman of a key subcommittee that will deal with immigration. 
 
 Mr. Gowdy has already taken a hard line, signing on last year to the “Prohibiting Backdoor Amnesty Act,” which aimed to reverse Mr. Obama’s plans to delay deportations for some young illegal immigrants. The congressman will be under pressure to change his mind from the White House and its allies, including groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. But when he goes home to Greenville, Mr. Gowdy may find that his constituents want him to hold firm in his opposition. ||||| WASHINGTON — Same-sex couples will be a part of the proposal for addressing immigration reform that President Obama is scheduled to unveil Tuesday in Las Vegas, BuzzFeed has confirmed with multiple sources familiar with the White House plan. 
 
 A Democratic source said: "Same-sex couples will be part of his proposal." A second source confirmed that, unlike the Senate framework released Monday, same-sex bi-national couples — those with one American and one foreign partner — will be included in the White House principles. 
 
 The decision by Obama seeks to remedy what advocates for same-sex couples view as one of the most searing inequalities under the existing federal limit on marriage to one man and one woman: LGBT American citizens simply have no way to confer citizenship on their romantic partners, something that is automatic — if not always simple — for straight couples. 
 
 Under current law, such same-sex couples, even when married under state law, are not eligible for the green cards that opposite-sex couples can receive. Foreign partners of same-sex couples have in the past found their green card applications denied — often forcing couples to separate or move abroad. 
 
 Although Attorney General Eric Holder and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano have taken steps to examine the issue and, in some cases, prevent deportation of the foreign same-sex partners of Americans, the Defense of Marriage Act continues to prevent the granting of green cards for such individuals. 
 
 White House officials did not respond to requests for comment about the issue Monday night. 
 
 When the Senate framework was unveiled Monday, same-sex couples were not included. BuzzFeed has learned that three of the Democratic senators involved in the bipartisan framework reached out to LGBT advocates on Sunday to let them know in advance that same-sex couples' immigration issues would not be addressed in the Senate framework. 
 
 An LGBT advocate on the call said that the call, which was led by Sen. Chuck Schumer and included Sens. Richard Durbin and Bob Menendez, included the news from Schumer that same-sex couples would not be addressed in the Senate framework to be unveiled Monday in order to maintain its bipartisan support. 
 
 The advocate also said that Schumer told the advocates that although there would be attempts to include same-sex couples at a later point in the process — up to and including during committee amendments — there were no guarantees that same-sex couples would be included the legislation. 
 
 An email seeking comment from Schumer's office was not immediately returned on Monday night. 
 
 Alex Conant, press secretary for Sen. Marco Rubio, one of the Republicans who announced the Senate framework Monday, told BuzzFeed shortly after publication of this story Monday night, "White House officials have talked to BuzzFeed more than they've talked to Marco Rubio about what they plan to say tomorrow." 
 
 "The issue of same-sex couples and immigration are details that still need to be worked out in Senate," Rubio press secretary Alex Conant added. 
 
 Earlier Monday, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney refused to say whether Obama would sign the Senate proposal if it passed as is, nor would he comment on a key Democratic concession to Republicans to make granting a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants dependent on first securing the border. 
 
 The Democratic source said the White House is displeased by the proposal and his plan would not link the two. 
 
 This article has been updated to include the lack of comment from White House officials and the comments from Conant. ||||| By Alexis Simendinger, RealClearPolitics - January 28, 2013 
 
 President Obama on Tuesday will ask American workers, employers, lawmakers, and interest groups to help enact a new immigration system this year that would grant undocumented immigrants an earned path to U.S. citizenship. 
 
 The kickoff of Obama’s public campaign for reform, which the president postponed until his second term, will take place in Las Vegas a day after a key, bipartisan group of senators launched a push for immigration changes that Obama hopes can lead to action in the House. 
 
 A bipartisan group of House members may follow suit within weeks of Obama’s Feb. 12 State of the Union address. 
 
 Administration officials, speaking to reporters Monday, pronounced the president pleased with early momentum in Congress. They asserted that the scheduling of Obama’s speech this week goosed some lawmakers into unveiling their efforts sooner than planned. 
 
 Obama wants to study the fine print of legislation once it is written, but administration officials were quick to say the president objects to linking an earned pathway to citizenship to enforcement or border security triggers, a contingency concept included in the bipartisan “principles” outlined Monday by pro-reform senators who have been dubbed the “immigration eight.” Immigration enforcement goals have already been met by the administration, the officials said, and any new triggers or thresholds set by law would create unnecessary obstacles to those seeking legal status. 
 
 They promised more specificity in Obama’s Tuesday speech. They were pointedly vague about the choice of Nevada as backdrop for the start of the campaign, but the White House said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will be in his home state to attend. 
 
 One source said Nevada is an example of how rapidly changing demographics and American politics have converged to threaten Republicans as a viable national party in future elections. 
 
 (Las Vegas was also an easy destination for those coming to the event from both coasts and the Midwest, one source added. Among those in attendance will be AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka; autoworkers and other representatives from organized labor; members of the Latino, Asian and Irish immigrant communities; attendees from evangelical and religious groups; local and state government officials; and perhaps business representatives.) 
 
 “We agree with the president that this is a critical issue,” said Jeff Hauser, spokesman for the AFL-CIO. “This is a situation of a completely shared point of view.” 
 
 Union representatives said they will hold a news conference shortly after Obama’s speech. 
 
 Obama is keeping in his back pocket a White House draft of an immigration reform measure, but administration officials said the president will cede the bill-writing to lawmakers for now, if it will help get the results he’s seeking. Aides pointed to Obama’s immigration reform principles, written as a “blueprint,” posted on the White House website. 
 
 Obama’s primary role going forward will be as a cheerleader urging the public to pressure their members of Congress to enact reforms. The president will continue to travel and speak on the issue, and tap all the tools that make up the modern day bully pulpit, including social media and e-mail. 
 
 In Nevada, he is expected to call for a comprehensive approach to reform -- meaning a single bill rather than individual measures that might be cherry-picked by lawmakers who back employer enforcement provisions or tougher border security, but not a clear pathway to citizenship because they believe it rewards lawbreakers and is tantamount to amnesty. 
 
 Comprehensive legislation generally is thought to mean one measure establishing new provisions for workplace enforcement, border security, legalization and citizenship, visa allowances for skilled immigrants, and programs for temporary work. 
 
 Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, in a statement Monday, reminded the White House that GOP senators want to consider immigration under “regular order,” meaning within each of the committees with jurisdiction, and through an amendment process once a measure (or measures) get to the Senate floor. McConnell’s statement underscored the fact that past reform efforts foundered along these complex routes through Congress. 
 
 McConnell warned Obama the GOP would not warm to a presidential speech that sought to divide Republicans, who are still reeling after 71 percent of Latino voters backed the president for re-election over Mitt Romney. “I hope he will take a bipartisan approach rather than delivering another divisive partisan speech,” the Kentucky Republican said. 
 
 Last September, during a television interview with Univision, Obama explained the differences between his approach and that of Romney and his running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan. 
 
 “The candidate sitting here with you today is committed to comprehensive immigration reform; is committed to the 'DREAM Act’ [for children born in America to undocumented immigrants], has taken administrative actions to prevent young people from being deported,” he said. 
 
 “And that stands in contrast with the other candidate, who has said he would veto the 'DREAM Act,’ that he is uncertain about what his plan for immigration reform would be, and [who] considers the Arizona law a model for the nation, and has suggested that the main solution for immigration is self-deportation.” 
 
 With an improving economy and support from both business and the AFL-CIO, the White House plans to argue that immigration reform will expand economic growth, workers’ wages and the number of U.S. citizens paying into the Treasury and into the Social Security and Medicare systems. As America’s worker population ages and draws on entitlement benefits, the country is looking for younger workers to pay into the coffers. With 11 million undocumented workers already in the country, there is an economic argument for making them legal and offering the opportunity for citizenship, administration officials assert. 
 
 The Congressional Budget Office, academic analysts, and think tanks -- including CATO and the Center for American Progress -- have projected benefits to the economy resulting from an earned pathway to citizenship, countering public fears of lost jobs and lower wages. Some economists expect an additional 1 percent in growth and a $2.2 billion reduction in federal deficits over 10 years with enactment of comprehensive reforms, administration officials said Monday. 
 
 One Democratic source said immigration reform advocates are working toward House and Senate committee hearings and markup by March; Senate floor action by April or May; House floor action before Memorial Day; and Obama’s signature on a compromise measure before the August congressional recess. 
 
 Asked about a White House legislative calendar for enactment of reforms while the president also works to curb gun violence and achieve budgetary compromises with Republicans, administration officials said they could not put a timeline on it. 
 

– Today's big immigration news will come straight from the president's mouth. Barack Obama will set out his own immigration reform plan in Las Vegas today, and it will offer more specifics than his 2011 immigration "blueprint" did. But his intention is not to put forth an actual bill—so long as the Senate keeps making progress on its version, Politico reports. But that approach isn't as pitfall-free as it sounds: The Senate group and Obama already disagree on a few points, like linking the granting of citizenship to tougher border enforcement, which Obama believes would establish a state of limbo for the 11 million illegal immigrants in the country. A likely big fight: While the Senate plan made no mention of same-sex bi-national couples, Obama will address this population today, reports Buzzfeed. It spoke with sources who said some of the Senate Democrats involved actually alerted LGBT leaders to the omission on Sunday, which they explained as necessary for securing bipartisan backing. Chuck Schumer reportedly said same-sex couples—who, even when married under state law, cannot obtain green cards for the foreign partner—could be written into the legislation as the process moves forward. Real Clear Politics reports that Obama's overall role will be as "cheerleader," pushing the public to push their members of Congress to act. But he doesn't want a lot of individual measures; rather, he's expected to call for a single bill. And while the Senate's bipartisan deal has won cautious praise from the White House, it will be much tougher to sell it to Republican voters and many GOP lawmakers, the New York Times finds. Conservatives in the House have made it clear they are opposed to anything resembling amnesty, and John Boehner has remained noncommittal on the proposal. "When you legalize those who are in the country illegally, it costs taxpayers millions of dollars, costs American workers thousands of jobs, and encourages more illegal immigration," says Rep. Lamar Smith, a key Republican on the House Judiciary Committee.