In its speech At last night's State of the Union address, President Obama expressed the need to address "once and for all," the issue of illegal immigration. He called on Democrats and Republicans to reach a fair and political agreement.
The president said he is prepared to work with members of both parties to protect the nation's borders, enforce laws and resolve "the plight of millions of undocumented workers living in the shadows."
"I know the debate will be difficult and it will take time," the president said. "But, tonight, let's agree to make that effort. And let's stop expelling talented, responsible young people who can fill our research labs, start new businesses and continue to enrich this nation." He emphasized that the children of undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States by their parents should not be penalized and mentioned the defeat of the DREAM Act initiative to regularize the immigration status of these young people.
During the brief mention of the illegal immigration problem in his speech, Obama did not use the terminology "immigration reform".
It now remains to be seen when he will take action to initiate debate and push for a bill that would lead to a path to legalization for the approximately 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country.
It should be remembered that during his presidential campaign he promised to make an immigration reform that would bring the undocumented out of "the shadows" during the first 2 years of his presidency. It was a promise he has yet to keep.
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