President Obama’s immigration reform speech in Las Vegas, Nevada

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

The first thing you should know is that the immigration reforms outlined today by President Obama in a speech in Las Vegas, Nevada are remarkably similar to the immigration reforms he outlined in a speech in El Paso, Texas in May 2011, a Blueprint for Building a 21st Century Immigration System (pdf).

Here is the Fact Sheet from today's speech. FACT SHEET: Fixing our Broken Immigration System so Everyone Plays by the Rules.

Here is the transcript of prepared Remarks by the President on Comprehensive Immigration Reform. (excerpts):

Now, during my first term, we took steps to try and patch up some of the worst cracks in the system.

First, we strengthened security at the borders so that we could finally
stem the tide of illegal immigrants.  We put more boots on the ground
on the southern border than at any time in our history.  And today,
illegal crossings are down nearly 80 percent from their peak in 2000. 
(Applause.)

Second, we focused our enforcement efforts on criminals who are here
illegally and who endanger our communities.  And today, deportations of
criminals is at its highest level ever.  (Applause.) 

And third, we took up the cause of the DREAMers — (applause) — the
young people who were brought to this country as children, young people
who have grown up here, built their lives here, have futures here.  We
said that if you’re able to meet some basic criteria like pursuing an
education, then we’ll consider offering you the chance to come out of
the shadows so that you can live here and work here legally, so that you
can finally have the dignity of knowing you belong.

But because this change isn’t permanent, we need Congress to act — and
not just on the DREAM Act.  We need Congress to act on a comprehensive
approach that finally deals with the 11 million undocumented immigrants
who are in the country right now.  That's what we need.  (Applause.) 

Now, the good news is that for the first time in many years,
Republicans and Democrats seem ready to tackle this problem together. 
(Applause.)  Members of both parties, in both chambers, are actively
working on a solution.  Yesterday, a bipartisan group of senators
announced their principles for comprehensive immigration reform, which
are very much in line with the principles I’ve proposed and campaigned
on for the last few years.  So at this moment, it looks like there’s a
genuine desire to get this done soon, and that’s very encouraging.

* * *

Now, of course, there will be rigorous debate about many of the details,
and every stakeholder should engage in real give and take in the
process.  But it’s important for us to recognize that the foundation for
bipartisan action is already in place.  And if Congress is unable to
move forward in a timely fashion, I will send up a bill based on my
proposal and insist that they vote on it right away.  (Applause.)

So the principles are pretty straightforward.  There are a lot of
details behind it.  We're going to hand out a bunch of paper so that
everybody will know exactly what we're talking about.  But the
principles are pretty straightforward. 

First, I believe we need to stay focused on enforcement.  That means
continuing to strengthen security at our borders.  It means cracking
down more forcefully on businesses that knowingly hire undocumented
workers.  To be fair, most businesses want to do the right thing, but a
lot of them have a hard time figuring out who’s here legally, who’s
not.  So we need to implement a national system that allows businesses
to quickly and accurately verify someone’s employment status.  And if
they still knowingly hire undocumented workers, then we need to ramp up
the penalties.

Second, we have to deal with the 11 million individuals who are here
illegally.  We all agree that these men and women should have to earn
their way to citizenship.  But for comprehensive immigration reform to
work, it must be clear from the outset that there is a pathway to
citizenship.  (Applause.) 

We’ve got to lay out a path — a process that includes passing a
background check, paying taxes, paying a penalty, learning English, and
then going to the back of the line, behind all the folks who are trying
to come here legally.  That's only fair, right?  (Applause.)

So that means it won’t be a quick process but it will be a fair
process.  And it will lift these individuals out of the shadows and give
them a chance to earn their way to a green card and eventually to
citizenship.  (Applause.)

And the third principle is we’ve got to bring our legal immigration
system into the 21st century because it no longer reflects the realities
of our time.  (Applause.)  For example, if you are a citizen, you
shouldn’t have to wait years before your family is able to join you in
America.  You shouldn't have to wait years.  (Applause.)

If you’re a foreign student who wants to pursue a career in science or
technology, or a foreign entrepreneur who wants to start a business with
the backing of American investors, we should help you do that here. 
Because if you succeed, you’ll create American businesses and American
jobs.  You’ll help us grow our economy.  You’ll help us strengthen our
middle class. 

So that’s what comprehensive immigration reform looks like:  smarter
enforcement; a pathway to earned citizenship; improvements in the legal
immigration system so that we continue to be a magnet for the best and
the brightest all around the world.  It’s pretty straightforward.  

The question now is simple:  Do we have the resolve as a people, as a
country, as a government to finally put this issue behind us?  I believe
that we do.  I believe that we do.  (Applause.)  I believe we are
finally at a moment where comprehensive immigration reform is within our
grasp.

Video of speeech.