Overhaul Of Immigration Laws May Take Time Says Obama

Late Wednesday, President Barack Obama said that although he believes that there is a pressing need to overhaul the nation’s immigration laws, “there may not be appetite” this year. According to the Washington Post, during his visit to the press section of his presidential plane Obama said, “It's a matter of political will. . . This is a difficult issue. It generates a lot of emotions . . . I need some help on the Republican side.” Obama has consistently argued for comprehensive immigration reform. He has said that while he wants to tighten control on the nation's borders, he also wishes to chart a path to citizenship for millions of immigrants, who are in this country illegally. Citing the instances of the battle over healthcare and the ongoing discussion on financial regulatory reforms and an energy bill, and November's mid-term Congressional elections, Obama said that, “We've gone through a tough year, and I've been working Congress pretty hard. So I know there may not be an appetite immediately to dive into another controversial issue.” While condemning a tough new immigration law signed last week by Arizona Governor, Jan Brewer (R), which defines illegal immigration as trespassing and makes it a criminal offence, Obama said, “That carries a great amount of risk that core values that we all care about are breached”. At the same time, Obama said that he could understand the frustration that many Americans feel about seeing large numbers of people enter this country without permission, especially during hard economic times and in the Border States. He said, “If you've got hundreds of thousands of people coming in, not playing by the rules, that's a problem. And the federal government has been abdicating on its responsibilities for a very long time on this issue.”