And we say good.
Pres. Barack Obama took the first step on Thursday towards immigrationreform and an amnesty for more than 11 million illegal aliens. Membersof the Administration met with 30 Members of Congress from both sidesof the issue and both sides of the aisle to get the debate rolling, butPres. Obama said after the meeting that there was “not by any meansconsensus across the table.”
Despite the differing opinions on how to handle the illegal alienpopulation, how to secure the borders and how to monitor the flow offuture immigrants, Pres. Obama said he’s committed to getting anamnesty through Congress.
“It’s going to require some heavy lifting,” Pres. Obama said. “It’sgoing to require a victory of practicality and common sense and goodpolicy making over short-term politics. That’s what I’m committed todoing as president.
“What I am encouraged by is that after all the overheated rhetoric andthe occasional demagoguery on all sides around this issue, we’ve got aresponsible set of leaders sitting around the table who want toactively get something done.”
Pres. Obama made it clear that the Administration needs to prove tothe American people that they can enforce the laws before providingamnesty to millions of illegal aliens.
“The American people still want to see a solution in which we aretightening up our borders, or cracking down on employers who are usingillegal workers in order to drive down wages,” Obama said.
Obama has already started working with DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano to increase enforcement.