Obama presses for immigration reform that could benefit Pinoys

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama called for an end to political posturing and special interest wrangling in this midterm election year so the US immigration system can be fixed, a move that could benefit hundreds of thousands of Filipinos overstaying their visas or waiting to join their relatives here.

In a speech on Thursday on the need for a comprehensive immigration reform, Obama said it would be logistically impossible and wildly expensive to round up and deport 11 million undocumented workers living in the United States just as it would be unwise and unfair to give them blanket amnesty.

Even if it was possible, a program of mass deportations would disrupt the nation’s economy and communities in ways that most Americans would find intolerable, he said.

At the same time, to simply provide those who are here illegally with legal status or put an end to deportations until better laws are enacted would be unwise and unfair, he said.

No matter how decent they are, no matter their reasons for emigrating to the United States, the 11 million who broke these laws should be held accountable, he said.

To do otherwise would suggest to those thinking about coming here illegally that there will be no repercussions for such a decision and this could lead to a surge in more illegal immigration. 

Among the undocumented workers are between 200,000 and 300,000 overstaying Filipinos who could be eligible for permanent resident cards, more popularly known as “Green cards,” under the proposed immigration reform.

In his speech, Obama reiterated his commitment to reform that also addresses backlogs for family members and called on Congress to act on this pressing issue this year.

The president said he recognizes the pain that is being felt by families because of long waiting periods.

“We are heartened by President Obama’s strong statement today to keep his promise to make immigration reform a reality this year,” said Greg Macabenta, head of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA).

“We commend the president for asserting the urgent need for federal action in order to fix a broken system that is tearing families apart,” he said.

“Filipinos have the longest waiting time for petitions to be approved and are thus adversely affected by protracted delays in visa processing,” Macabenta said.

Obama said once past the two extremes of this debate, it becomes possible to shape a practical, commonsense approach to fix the broken immigration system that will require accountability from government, businesses and individuals.

Businesses must be held accountable if they break the law by deliberately hiring and exploiting undocumented workers.

People living here illegally must come out of the shadows and admit they broke the law. They should be required to register, pay their taxes, pay a fine, and learn English.

Republicans insist the southern border with Mexico must be strengthened before there can be any meaningful immigration reform.

Obama said the border is more secure today than at any time in the past 20 years, “but our borders are just too vast for us to be able to solve the problem only with fences and border patrols.”

Into this breach, states like Arizona have decided to take matters into their own hands.

A new state law in Arizona that authorizes police to question the immigration status of anyone they suspect of being in the country illegally has fanned the flames of an already contentious debate.

Obama said authorities don’t do a good job of tracking who comes in and out of the country as visitors so large numbers avoid immigration laws simply by overstaying their visas.