EL PASO – President Barack Obama, visiting the border for the first time in office, argued Tuesday that security has been improved enough that it’s time for the nation to act on immigration policy.
In a speech reminiscent of his campaign appearances, he cast the debate as a fight with Republicans who have dug in and, in many cases, backed away from an embrace of comprehensive reform amid political pressure that led to a security-first approach.
Over the last two years, he said, “we have answered those concerns” by more than doubling the number of border patrol agents since 2004, to an all time high along the Southwest border.
“They wanted a fence. Well, that fence is now basically complete,” he said, drawing boos from hundreds of people on hand for the speech. “We have gone above and beyond what was requested by the very Republicans who said they supported broader reform as long as we got serious about enforcement.”
And Obama mockingly accused the opposition of moving the target.
“Maybe they’ll say we need a moat. Or alligators in the moat. They’ll never be satisfied,” he said.
Though he was short on specifics of what shape a comprehensive immigration overhaul should take, the president said it should include government securing the border and enforcing the law, and holding businesses “accountable if they exploit undocumented workers.”
As for a path to citizenship for the millions of people in the U.S. illegal he only offered outlines: “Those who are here illegally have a responsibility. … They have to admit that they broke the law, pay their taxes, pay a fine, and learn English. And they have to undergo background checks and a lengthy process before they get in line for legalization. That’s not too much to ask,” he said.
Even some allies have been skeptical about Obama’s commitment on immigration, noting how long he’s waited to tackle the issue or visit the border, despite a campaign pledge to push immigration reform within his first year. White House spokesman Jay Carney called it ironic for Obama to take heat both for delay and for trying to attain a politically difficult goal.
“C’mon,” he said. “There have been quite a few things going on in the last 2-1/2 years — the worst recession since the Great Depression, two wars, the hunt for Osama bin Laden.”
With Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Obama toured a cargo facility at the Bridge of the Americas, one of the nation’s busiest border crossings, before laying out his vision for an immigration overhaul at the Chamizal National Memorial.
The park overlooks Ciudad Juárez, the city that has taken the brunt of Mexico’s drug war violence – more than 8,000 of more than 35,000 killings nationwide since late 2006.
El Paso itself, though, remains one of the safest U.S. cities of its size, and Obama emphasized the importance of lawful trade that clogs the bridges and creates thousands of jobs. Overall U.S.-Mexico trade amounts to about $1 billion each day.
Republican critics of comprehensive immigration proposals — including some, like Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who previously supported such efforts — argue that immigration laws should not be loosened until the border is secure. They also say that Obama, despite campaign promises to address the issue in his first year, made barely an effort.
Cornyn called it “disappointing that the only time border security and immigration reform get President Obama’s attention is when he is campaigning.”
Some immigration advocates expressed cautious optimism that Obama is serious — and not simply courting the Hispanic vote as thoughts turn to re-election.
“It’s never too late to do the right thing, and immigration reform is the right thing,” said Louie Gilot, executive director of Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center in El Paso. “If immigration is back on the table, it will take a lot of leadership to push this through Congress. I hope President Obama is up to the task.”
Noting the violence in Juárez, Gilot added, “I hope he can address the situation in Mexico which is bringing in newcomers,” both legal and illegal. “I want to hear that we have a plan in our country to help our neighbors.”
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio , derided the Texas visit as a doomed effort to push for “amnesty,” noting that Congress refused to adopt the sort of changes Obama seeks even when Democrats controlled the House and held a much more solid Senate majority than they do now.
“President Obama has once again put on his campaigner-in-chief hat,” Smith said. “The president’s push to legalize millions of illegal immigrants is purely political.”
He asserted that worksite enforcement of immigration laws has dropped by 70 percent under Obama, making it easier for illegal immigrants to remain in the United States, “and even though administration officials like to pretend the border is secure, the reality is that it isn’t.”
A recent government report found that U.S. authorities have full control of only 44 percent of the southern border.
“I’m happy that he’s finally, after 21/2 years, visiting a land port of entry,” said Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Laredo Democrat, noting that 88 percent of goods and people entering the U.S. do so by land. He hopes the visit helps Obama recognize the need for 5,000 new customs agents, and $5 billion worth of infrastructure upgrades at land ports.
But as for pitching immigration changes, Cuellar said, that would have been easier when Democrats still controlled the House. “I hate to be so blunt, but it will be extremely, extremely difficult right now,” he said.
The administration has long rebuffed Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s request for 1,000 more National Guard troops along the border. Perry sought a meeting with Obama and was offered a brief slot at the airport in El Paso, which he declined.
Obama aides ticked off signs of the progress and commitment to security.
For instance, there are now 20,700 Border Patrol agents, more than double the number since 2004 — though Republicans accused the administration of trying to take credit for a surge that started before he took office. And the number of intelligence analysts working on border security has tripled.
Ahead of the speech, Ali Noorani, executive director of the National Immigration Forum, which supports a guest worker program and a path to citizenship for unlawful immigrants, welcomed Obama’s decision to put a spotlight on the cause.
He noted that Obama’s visit to El Paso marks the fourth straight week in which the president has publicly engaged the issue.
“All signs point to a sustained campaign,” he said, adding that he hopes Obama is able to refocus the debate, to address the harsh and unfair way the current immigration system deals with “landscapers and nannies who only want to contribute to their communities.”
Staff writer Alfredo Corchado contributed to this report.
