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Moment of truth on immigrationPosted: 06.19.09 The stakes are high as President Obama and congressional leaders plan to meet to discuss immigration reform. President Obama pledged during the campaign that immigration would be a top priority of his administration and that he would push to enact it in the first year of his term. The White House has framed the meeting as an attempt to ascertain whether immigration reform is politically possible this year and to begin a process toward achieving that goal. Some supporters of reform, however, are concerned that the meeting is more political show than substance, designed to assuage them that the president is working toward reform and therefore keeping his promise, when in reality there is no intention to move a bill in the first year. Such an outcome would be a mistake. While opinions differ as to whether it is politically wise to move immigration reform legislation in the first year, the president cannot afford to leave supporters empty-handed. What must emerge from this meeting is a substantive plan which shows that the administration intends to win this battle, even if it might take longer than expected. Such a plan should include legislative and administrative actions that increase public confidence that immigrants are integrating into U.S. society systematically, and that the government would be able to efficiently implement and enforce a new immigration system. I am not talking about more border enforcement. I am speaking of initiatives to show that, if we do intend to require 12 million people to earn citizenship, the infrastructure is in place to ensure that they are processed and able to learn English and civics in a reasonable time period. In short, the administration must prove that these new immigrants, now in the shadows, can emerge and become good Americans. The issue that opponents of immigration reform like to exploit is cultural fear – fear that immigrants from other lands are taking over the American way of life, leaving us a nation we will eventually not recognize. A detailed national integration strategy which provides the tools for immigrants to integrate into U.S. society would help allay such fears. The administration also must demonstrate that the infrastructure is in place to identify and process 12 million people, as well as implement other programs which may come along with immigration reform. To show this, progress must be made in reducing the current waiting times for citizenship and other immigration benefits, which often can take years. In an era defined by Hurricane Katrina, government competency is an issue which cannot be ignored. Finally, the administration must show that it will be able to hold unscrupulous employers accountable in any new system. The database upon which the current employer verification system is based is fraught with errors and must be seriously revamped. Moreover, the Department of Labor, in cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security, should take steps to enforce the rights of workers in the workplace, for those of both immigrant and U.S. laborers. To its credit, the administration has taken small steps in these areas, such as shifting enforcement priorities away from migrant workers through work-site raids to employer investigation and prosecution. Much more needs to be done, however, and with the public backing and leadership of the president, Congress should help. Perhaps later this year or early next, as the economy improves, the time will be ripe for immigration reform. In the meantime, the government must take important preparatory steps to ensure that the American public is ready for it, and that the voices of dissent are neutralized. In order to move immigration reform forward, President Obama needs to take action, not just hold a meeting.
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