Obama urges House to resume talks on immigration reform

Last updated on: October 24, 2013 at 11:01 pm by CNA Daily News

Obama urges House to resume talks on immigration reform 2013-10-24T23:01:00+00:00 CNA Daily News

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Washington D.C., Oct 24, 2013 / 05:01 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- President Barack Obama has asked the House of Representatives to move on an immigration reform bill, emphasizing the current dysfunctions in the immigration system and pressing for change.

“We should pass immigration reform. It’s good for our economy. It’s good for our national security. It’s good for our people. And we should do it this year,” the president said in an Oct. 24 speech from the White House.

The speech marks a renewed emphasis on immigration reform from the Obama administration.

In June, the Senate passed by a margin of 68–32 a bill that would help improve border security, require employee immigration status verification, and introduce a path to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants currently in the United States.

Though the bill passed and was sent to the House of Representatives, the legislation stalled over the summer as international concerns with Iran and Syria and domestic disputes over the debt ceiling and government funding took attention from the issue.

Some Republican members of the House have voiced opposition to the bill, but Obama challenged that this issue is not necessarily partisan. He reminded the nation that “my Republican predecessor was also for it when he proposed reforms like this almost a decade ago,” and the bill was supported by “more than a dozen Republican votes in the Senate.”

He also stressed that this is not a political move.

“I’m not running for office again. I just believe this is the right thing to do.”

He noted that action on the topic must be made because “our current immigration system is broken. Across the political spectrum, people understand that.”

Obama commented that many of the policies that do not let graduates of American universities stay in the United States, that allow larger companies who take advantage of “the shadow economy” with few punishments, and that deport undocumented children who grew up in the United States back to the countries their country of birth are “not fair.”

“ It doesn’t make sense. We have kicked this particular can down the road for too long.”

The president’s speech comes mere days after Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, called for immigration reform.

In an Oct. 18 op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, Cardinal Dolan stated that helping “the newcomer to our land feel at home is part of our mission,” as Catholics, and reminded the public of the critical role that Catholic immigration programs around the country play in assisting “immigrants in becoming Americans.”

“With help from the church and other institutions, our country has done a remarkable job of transforming immigrants from other shores into Americans, helping them become full members of our culture and communities.”

Cardinal Dolan vowed that these programs would continue and that the “Church will keep pouring resources into helping immigrants demonstrate that commitment, something our leaders should keep in mind as they debate what will become of these Americans in the making."

However, even as the children of immigrants “are achieving education and income levels comparable to the native-born population,” he continued, they still face institutional challenges to their integration into American society.

“By bringing the undocumented out of the shadows and giving them a chance to earn citizenship, we'd remove barriers to their immersion. This would allow them to participate in our society and develop talents and skills without inhibition, to the benefit of our culture.”

“Without such changes, we’ll remain a two-tiered society with a permanent underclass, a departure from the core democratic principles of our country,” he warned, asking the government to support “comprehensive immigration reform.”

Previous Post

October 24, 2013

Mission work is about sharing God's love, Spanish priest says

Next Post

October 25, 2013 Colorado parish cultivates 'new evangelization' spirit

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Americas Asia - Pacific Europe Middle East - Africa Uncategorized US Vatican

Select a Month November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

I am a day when the high priest enters the Most Holy Place once a year to make atonement. What day am I?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Passover The Sabbath The Day of Atonement The Day of Trumpets