Immigration reform: Congress, Obama, and public are not so far apart

Both the bipartisan Senate plan and President Obama's proposal on immigration reform ? which he's expected to mention in his State of the Union address tonight ? show how Republican and Democrats aren?t as far apart on policy as politics might have us believe.

By Mary Giovagnoli / February 12, 2013

President Obama reaches out to shake hands after giving his State of the Union address on Capitol Hill on Jan. 24, 2012. Mr. Obama will center his address tonight on job creation and economic growth, also touching on immigration reform. Op-ed contributor Mary Giolvagnoli says the Obama and bipartisan Senate plans on immigration reform 'chart a way to bring lawmakers together ? particularly on the pivotal issue of citizenship.'

Susan Walsh/AP/file

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In spite of some disagreement among lawmakers on the best path forward, momentum for US immigration reform continues to grow ? and is moving in one clear direction. A bipartisan group of senators unveiled a framework for reform a few weeks ago, and shortly thereafter President Obama announced his own policy push on immigration, which he is expected to touch upon again in his State of the Union address Tuesday. In the House, a range of ideas are being floated, but a bipartisan bill is expected to emerge soon.

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Both the Senate and White House proposals are remarkable for what they share, particularly with respect to providing a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants in this country. And despite some important differences, they are even more remarkable for establishing a united front on what kinds of solutions are seen as reasonable and politically viable in the coming debate over immigration reform.

In short, the two plans, particularly the Senate proposal, show how policymakers aren?t as far apart on policy as politics might have us believe. And they chart a way to bring lawmakers together ? particularly on the pivotal issue of citizenship.

House Republican leaders are already struggling to find a way to distinguish themselves from these proposals without sounding too extreme, but their tentative forays into a ?no citizenship for the undocumented? proposal are likely to place them outside the mainstream of the debate ? and public opinion.

At the core of both the White House and Senate proposals is a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States today. Both proposals also include border reform, updating the legal immigration system and reducing current backlogs, and expanding employment-based visas to include more green cards for high-skilled workers.

There are differences, as well. For example, Mr. Obama?s framework makes more overtures to progressives, including support for equal treatment of same-sex couples for immigration purposes, curbing border patrol abuses involving racial profiling, and immigration court reform.

The Senate proposal is more centrist, making the path to citizenship conditional on first completing enhanced border-security measures and requiring legalization applicants to go to the ?back of the line? before obtaining their lawful permanent resident status ? or eventual citizenship. Because extraordinary backlogs in visa processing currently exist, most people expect the Senate to authorize additional visas to reduce the backlog. Nonetheless, legalization applicants would likely wait many years to receive their ?green cards.? Obama?s plan calls for a more straightforward path to citizenship with fewer strings attached.

The Senate proposal also explicitly calls for a reformed and expanded temporary-worker program flexible enough to meet the demand for jobs when the economy is good and to scale back accordingly when it is not.

In short, the Senate proposal seeks to balance often conflicting interests and concerns ? border security vs. legalization, a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants vs. fairness to those who went through legal channels, and the need for immigrant skills and labor across the whole economic spectrum vs. concern for worker protections and increasing opportunities for native-born workers.

The Senate plan aims to earn buy-in from both Republicans and Democrats on issues such as border enforcement, visa reforms, and temporary workers to garner broader support for full reform and legalization.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/PxGvxS1R7bM/Immigration-reform-Congress-Obama-and-public-are-not-so-far-apart

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