Immigration reformers look to Obama

After a week of lobbying Congress, immigrant advocates from South Florida and around the country are convinced that the road to reform this year begins at the White House. President Obama has called for a “summit’’ on immigration reform with congressional leaders of both parties, set for next Wednesday, June 17. Much like a similar confab on health-care reform this spring, the summit is designed to set ideas in motion, establish goals and raise everyone’s awareness of the need for fixing a broken immigration system. That would pave the way for legislation later this summer or fall. “No one is going to do anything until Obama does,’’ said Susana Barciela, policy director of the Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center in Miami. She spent much of last week meeting in Washington with fellow advocates from around the country and with members of Congress, including Senator Mel Martinez. “They are all waiting for the White House to show signs it is working on legislation in a serious manner,’’ she said. “In general, the Republicans are not voting for any Democratic legislation.’’ Martinez and Cuban-American Republican House members from Miami are an exception. They have indicated

support for comprehensive reform, which would include a path to legal status and citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants who are well established in this country. “We are closer (to a consensus) than a lot of people think,’’ Barciela said. “Everybody knows our immigration system is broken. If we want this country to move ahead, particularly when the economy is not doing well, it’s important that we come up with practical solutions to fix our immigration system.’’ The solution must include legalizing current residents, she said. “The reality is that it would be very costly and impractical to try to deport 12 million people,’’ she said. “The sensible thing is to legalize these people.’’ Most Republicans and some Democrats in Congress take a different view. They see legalization as a magnet for more illegal arrivals, so they want to focus instead on enforcement. This debate — also like the health-care issue – will test Obama’s ability to find a workable plan that can pass through Congress. “We want it now,’’ said Barciela. “We’ve been waiting 10 years for this legislation.’’

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Immigration reformers look to Obama

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