Obama open to piecemeal approach to immigration

By Balitang America Staff, ABS-CBN North America Bureau

Nov. 20, 2013

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., – Is the reform bill dead in 2013? House Republicans are insisting that they have a full plate for the remainder of the year.

But President Barack Obama said something can still be done this year. He told the House GOP that he’s open to the idea of a piecemeal approach to passing the legislation.

Addressing business leaders at a Wall Street Journal Conference in Washington DC yesterday, President Obama said he is open to passing a series of immigration reform measures, as long as all the necessary components are included.

“We do have to deal with about 11 million folks who are in this country, most of them just seeking opportunity. They did break the law by coming here or overstaying their visa and they’ve got to earn their way out of the shadows: pay a fine, learn English, get to the back of the line, pay their back taxes – but giving them a mechanism whereby they can get right by our society,” he said.

In June, Senate Democrats passed legislation that included provisions for border security, improvements to legal immigration and a 13-year pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

But conservatives in the House have called the Senate legislation “amnesty” and said the bill, as a whole, does not have chance of passing in the floor.