Obama puts off immigration "reform" until 2010 at SPP summit

Barack Obama is continuing a proud George W Bush tradition: holding a "North American Leaders Summit" with the leaders of Mexico and Canada as part of the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP.gov) effort. In a Feb. 2008 editorial that apparently no one else read, Obama promised to continue that Bush effort.

And, in a move that his allies in far-left and racial power groups probably won't like (link):

President Obama said Monday that efforts to change the immigration system would be a major focus for his administration only next year, after other major priorities were accomplished, including passage of a new health care system.

It’s very important for us to sequence these big initiatives in a way where they don’t all just crash at the same time,” he said, according to The Associated Press.

The AP has a little more (link). In addition to promoting "free trade" just like Bush:

He also spelled out a more detailed timeline on immigration change. The president said he expected draft legislation for an immigration overhaul this year but the matter would not get priority attention until 2010.

"We have a broken immigration system. Nobody denies it," Obama said. But politically and legislatively, the matter stands behind health care, energy legislation and an overhaul of financial regulatory rules on Obama's first-term agenda.

"It's very important for us to sequence these big initiatives in a way where they don't all just crash at the same time," he said.

Obama also said this:

"Am I going to be able to snap my fingers and get this done? No. This is going to be difficult; it's going to require bipartisan cooperation. There are going to be demagogues out there who try to suggest that any form of pathway for legalization for those who are already in the United States is unacceptable. And those are fights that I'd have to have if my poll numbers are at 70 or if my poll numbers are at 40. That's just the nature of the U.S. immigration debate."

Mon, 08/10/2009 - 13:27 · · Importance: 4