http://www.numbersusa.com/content/nusablog/beckr/december-22-2010/tues-meet-pres-obama-promises-veto-bills-reduce-illegal-immigration.?jid=817633&lid=9&rid=15962&tid=538663Good news and troubling news came out of Pres. Obama's meeting about immigration with Hispanic Congressmen on Tuesday.
All at the meeting seemed to agree with our NumbersUSA live webcast assessment after the Senate vote last Saturday that there won't be any amnesty threats in Congress over the next two years.
But news reports raise the troubling possibility that the President was promising to veto bills that Congress might pass to move illegal aliens out of their jobs so unemployed Americans can have them. I see wiggle room in the statements attributed to the President, but time will tell.
"The reality is, we're no longer on the House side in charge of the agenda,'' said Rep. Charlie Gonzalez (D- Texas), who attended the meeting. "We would never have had a vote on the Dream Act if the Republicans were in charge. So we need to understand that."
-- "Obama, Latino lawmakers take pragmatic view on immigration," by Peter Nicholas and Brian Bennett, Chicago Tribune
Oh, we'll still have to listen to appeals for amnesty. Mr. Obama promised to make a pitch for amnesty in his State of the Union address next month. But he admitted that would be just for show.
Instead, the president and members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus concurred that, until after the 2012 election, a more realistic goal would be to stave off legislation targeting illegal immigrants.
-- Chicago Tribune
If I were one of the 22 million Americans who want a full-time job but can't find one, that statement would really upset me. Millions of illegal aliens are filling jobs that unemployed Americans want, but the President of the United States pledges to "stave off" bills that might make it tough for illegal aliens to stay in the U.S.?
Just WHOM does our President represent?
The Chicago Tribune which has been a major cheerleader for amnesties for years painted this "fearful" scenario for the next two years:
Proponents of a new immigration system fear that once Republicans take control of the House next month, they will put together a package of laws that stress tough enforcement.
Oh, no, Congress may stress enforcing laws that forbid businesses from hiring illegal aliens instead of U.S. citizens!
Amid concern about such efforts, Obama told the five Latino lawmakers who met with him in the Oval Office that he would veto certain punitive legislation if need be.
Despite being irked at Mr. Obama's general attitude conveyed from the meeting, I hope that this report is accurate that he did not talk about vetoing all enforcement bills but only "certain punitive legislation."
I don't see the major immigration initiatives in 2011 being about "punitive" measures toward illegal aliens.
Rather, the most important legislation will be about simply requiring all businesses to use E-Verify to ensure that they hire only U.S. citizens and legal foreign workers. This legislation doesn't really DO anything to illegal aliens. It merely would ensure they can't get jobs. I cannot see any legitimate policy reason or practical political reason for the President to veto a mandatory E-Verify bill.
Nor can I see the "punitive against illegal aliens" label being attached to the favorite idea of Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) who would deny businesses the ability to deduct as a business expense all wages paid to illegal aliens.
Perhaps moving into the gray territory for what Mr. Obama would consider "punitive" would be any bills that would make sure that illegal aliens don't get taxpayer-provided government benefits.
A final quick thought today:
Wouldn't it be great if the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the President would meet to talk about the horrific unemployment rates for Hispanic Americans and about how reducing illegal immigration would allow many more Hispanic American families to have jobs and wages in the coming year?
ROY BECK is Founder & CEO of NumbersUSA
NumbersUSA's blogs are copyrighted and may be republished or reposted only if they are copied in their entirety, including this paragraph, and provide proper credit to NumbersUSA. NumbersUSA bears no responsibility for where our blogs may be republished or reposted.
Topic: In Tues. Meet, Pres. Obama Promises To Veto Bills To Reduce Illegal Immigration? (Read 1091 times)