Arizona Law: Obama Calls for Congress to Act on Immigration Reform

Citing the Arizona Immigration law, President Barack Obama has called on Congress to begin negotiations on an overhaul of the nation's broken immigration system.

With a rugged year of legislation already under their belt, including health care reform and financial overhaul, it looks like Congress does not have the "appetite" to move forward with immigration reform, Obama said.

After the Arizona law, though, it's clear that something must be done.

"Make no mistake, our immigration system is broken, and after so many years in which Washington has failed to meet its responsibilities, Americans are right to be frustrated. ... But the answer isn't to undermine fundamental principles that define us as a nation," Obama said during a Cinco de Mayo celebration at the White House.

As usual, politics is also involved in the decision to not work on a desperately needed change to our immigration system.

The AP writes:

There also may not be enough time left on the legislative calendar to take up a contentious issue with midterm elections looming in November, but by making the commitment Obama may at least be able to tell Hispanic groups he tried. Obama acknowledged immigration reform would be difficult to achieve and would require bipartisan support - something that's lacking in the Senate right now. And he made no commitment to finishing the process this year. But he said it was the only way to deal with the nation's immigration problems.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid drafted legislation last week that calls for tougher federal immigration enforcement and a tightening of border security before undocumented immigrants would be allowed to become legal U.S. residents. The only Republican interested in working on the bill, Sen. Lindsey Graham, though, said moving forward this year is not an option. And with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reasonably calling for the Senate to take the lead on a tough piece of legislation for once, it doesn't look like reform will be on the agenda this year.

Congress should at least begin to work behind closed doors on the issue. Democrats and Republicans should work out the framework of the legislation, so that they can move forward quickly next year. This bill is as important as energy reform and financial regulation, so it should be given the same priority.

By doing nothing, Congress is encouraging other states to act as Arizona did and pass illegal laws that violate the liberties that so many have fought for in this country. The Arizona law will lead to racial profiling and the violation of people's basic rights. And Latinos, the main targets of the law, will not be the only people affected. Pick up a friend from work or look too "immigrant," whatever that means, and you could find yourself being questioned by police.

The law not only makes Arizona look bad but reflects poorly on our entire country on the international stage. "Comprehensive reform - that's how we're going to solve this problem," Obama said.