By Leah Valencia, University of New Mexico- Talk Radio News Service

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano stepped up her call for immigration reform Friday, saying that while Congress has lagged on the issue, comprehensive reform is more realistic and necessary than ever before.

“Everybody recognizes that our current system isn’t working and that our immigration laws need to change,” Napolitano said in a morning address at the Center for American Progress.

Napolitano said the Obama administration will give a strong push for immigration reform in early 2010, noting that the immigration debate has changed since two years ago when it was last taken up by Congress.

“In 2007, many members of Congress said that they could support immigration reform in the future, but only if we first made significant progress securing the border,” Napolitano said.

Napolitano said DHS has proved their commitment to border law enforcement as the U.S. Border Patrol has grown to 20,000 and erected a 600 mile border fence, adding that the number of illegal immigrants trying to enter into the United States has significantly decreased.

“I’ve been dealing hands-on with immigration issues since 1993, so trust me: I know a major shift when I see one, and what I have seen makes reform far more attainable this time around,” stated Napolitano, who served as Governor of Arizona, a border state, from 2003-2009.

She specified that Immigration reform would not serve as a free path to legalization for the 12 million illegal immigrants currently living in the United States. Rather, reform would require illegal immigrants to register with DHS and pay fines and back taxes, pass criminal background checks and learn English.

“This is a task that is critical, it’s attainable and that we are fully committed to fulfill,” Napolitano said.

Rep. Yvette D. Clarke (D-N.Y.) says immigration reform is necessary because the current treatment of immigrants is inhumane, during a press conference on Wednesday. (0:19)

 

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Rep. Yvette D. Clarke (D-N.Y.) says that turning away immigrants is detrimental to American development during a press conference on Wednesday. (0:14)

 

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Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) says the U.S. education system needs to be responsive to all children. He adds that the special needs of the Latino community need to be included in the “overall solution” for immigration reform in the U.S. (0:56)

 

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Daniel Griswold, director for the Center for Trade Policy Studies at the Cato Institute, explains that the immigration policies Congress chooses to enact will have a huge economic impact on U.S. households. He also says that the difference between restricting immigration and legalizing immigration is about $250 billion. (0:31)

 

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Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), co-sponsor of the SAVE Act, says “The American people get it. They know that illegal immigration is a serious problem, and the way to fix it is through enforcement at the border, enforcement in the workplace, and not having an amnesty program.” (0:34)

 

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“The first part is increasing the border security,” Rep. Heath Shuler said about his SAVE Act. The bill requests an increase of 6,000 border patrol agents. Incentives for border patrol agents would include relocation bonuses and paying off student loans, he said. (0:28)

 

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“I simply don’t see how we can say that we are a country of diversity, a welcoming country, a country that respects the worth and dignity of the individual, and not have a comprehensive…thoughtful immigration program,” said Thomas McLarty, Council on Foreign Relations Independent Task Force Co-Chair. (0:17)

 

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Richard Land, President of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, said the U.S. has not made progress in immigration reform because “there are people who have benefited from exploiting cheap labor and undocumented workers, and they have a vested interest in it not getting fixed.” (0:26)

 

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House speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said she is ready and committed to take immigration reform debate on the House floor. “Immigration has been the constant reinvigoration of America,” she said. (0:32)

 

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