ImmigrationObama warning liberals to be flexible on immigration bill
Many in Washington have been worried about Republican objections to the immigration overhaul bill, but President Obama and leading Democrats have begun a quiet campaign to assuage the concerns of liberal groups which argue that the bill excludes too many immigrants and makes the path to citizenship too arduous.
President Obama warns congressional liberals // Source: almogaz.com
President Barack Obama told liberal supporters to ease back on their demands for changes to a comprehensive bipartisan immigration bill. He said these changes could kill the bill.
Many in Washington have been worried about Republican objections to the bill, but the Washington Post reports that Obama and leading Democrats have begun a quiet campaign to assuage the concerns of liberal groups which argue that the bill excludes too many immigrants and makes the path to citizenship too arduous.
The Post notes that Obama told Latino leaders in a meeting at the White House that getting a large margin of the Senate to support the bill is imperative to putting pressure on House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to accept the legislation in its original framework.
The president said that he expects those who were in the meeting to support the Senate proposal, even if they have doubts about some aspects of it. Once a plan was approved by Congress, the administration can go back and address any concerns.
“He said, ‘If the bill were presented on my desk today, I would sign it,’ ” Janet Murguía, president of the National Council of La Raza, told thePost. “He looked at the advocates and said, ‘We’re not going to get everything we want in this.’ ”
Obama also praised the Gang of Eight for its work on the bill, saying that there were parts of the bill that he does not agree with, but that he does agree with the big picture.
“I do think that it meets the basic criteria that I laid out from the start,” Obama told reporters.
The critics of the bill have not yet been persuaded by the president’s argument. Earlier this week, a group of Latino and religious leaders specified portions of the bill they believe to be too tough, including high fees and rigorous employment requirements before immigrants can gain legal status.
Members of the Gang of Eight group say they hoped that as many as seventy senators would end up voting for the bill.
Even if the bill passes the Senate, it will face tough opposition in the Republican-led House. Some Republicans prefer smaller piecemeal bills to address specific immigration-related issues rather than a large, comprehensive bill. One of the supporters of this approach is House Judiciary Committee chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Virginia).
One example for liberal activists who campaign for amendments to the bill are gay rights advocates, who are pushing to include the bill the foreign same-sex spouses of gay couples. Currently, same-sex partners are banned from obtaining spousal visas under the federal Defense of Marriage Act.
Republicans who support the bill, including Senator Marco Rubio (R-Florida), say a gay rights measure would kill the chances of the bill being passed, but Fred Sainz, a spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign, said gay rights groups will not stop their fight to include protections for homosexual bi-national couples.
