The President Delivers A Very Strong Speech On Immigration Reform, Progress Along the Border

In El Paso today President Barack Obama delivered a compelling, powerful speech on the progress which has been made along the border, and the need to keep going and get to the rest of the immigration reform agenda.

Since the introduction of Kennedy-McCain 6 years ago, the strategy for fixing the broken immigration system has been enhanced enforcement, a better system for managing the future flow of immigrants, and a path to legal status for the 11 million undocumented already here.  Through greater cooperation with Mexico, a better border strategy and more resources, we've seen clear and demonstrable progress in making the border safer in recent years.  Now that the the government has shown that it can fix a piece of the broken immigration system, it is time to get on with the rest of the immigration reform agenda, and truly build an immigration system which meets the needs of our modern economy and does so in a way consistent with our time-honored values. 

We are pleased the President did not let the current intensity of Republican opposition to immigration reform deter him.  The immigration system is badly broken in the US, and needs to be fixed.  The President is offering a smart and clear path forward.  It is going to take some work, but we agree with the President that working together we can come together and fix this critical problem.  And that effort began today.  Kudos to the President for not giving up, and showing the kind of leadership Americans expect from their President.