Immigration: (Almost) Finished Causing Quarrels

Barack Obama will announce reforms to immigration on Tuesday, the day after Republican and Democratic senators present their plan to resolve the issue of the 11 million illegal immigrants living in the United States.

The Democratic President will make the speech in Las Vegas, Nev., a state which is seeing one of the largest rises in its Hispanic minority. This minority proved to be one of the key factors in the re-election of the president in November, the Republicans having underestimated the burgeoning of ethnic minorities in the American population, as well as their rate of electoral participation.

During his inauguration speech, given on Jan. 21 in front of a million-strong crowd in Washington, Barack Obama promised to work toward a reform of immigration, one of the key promises of both of his campaigns.

One attempt at reform put forward during his first mandate in 2010 was defeated in Congress due to Republican opposition. But hostility has lessened over the last few weeks, with a number of conservatives starting to learn lessons from the presidential elections in November. Several Republican party figures have warned of the necessity of taking into account new electorates so as not to face further declines in the ballot box.

Eight senators, including the Republicans John McCain and Marco Rubio, proposed on Monday to regularize the status of the 11 million illegal immigrants living in the USA, with certain conditions, a proposal that demonstrates a rare co-operation between Democrats and Republicans.

“The politics on this issue have been turned upside down. For the first time ever, there is more political risk in opposing immigration reform than in supporting it,” claimed Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer, one of the group of eight members of the upper house to present a plan to regularize statuses, progressively and with conditions. The plan aims for “a tough but fair path to citizenship” for undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. It also aims to apply immigration reform in a way that betters the economy. The senators hope to end the employment of illegal immigrants and develop a legal system that “welcomes future employees” who wish to come to the U.S. to work. As a concession to Republicans, the plan includes a primary securing of America’s borders. The senator has asked for the adoption of these measures to go ahead in either late spring or early summer.

The participation of 41-year-old Rubio, born in the USA to a Cuban family and held in high esteem by conservatives, may well facilitate the passage of a law on immigration reform through the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, where a number of members remain hostile to any amnesty given to illegal immigrants.

Barack Obama’s plan differs from that of the senators on the principal of security on the border with Mexico, the White House believing that enough money has already been invested in securing it. But White House figures, under the cover of anonymity, play down these differences and insist that the two plans are compatible.