AirTalk host Larry Mantle convened a conversation following President Obama's speech on immigration reform in the Crawford Family Forum on November 20, 2014. ; Credit: Maya Sugarman
From the White House’s East Room, President Barack Obama announced plans to overhaul the nation’s immigration system on Thursday night. In his speech, Mr. Obama promised to provide extra support to law enforcement officials on the border, make it easier and faster for skilled immigrants to stay and contribute to the economy, and take steps to deal with the millions of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally.
Potentially the biggest sticking point of President Obama’s speech was his plan to deal with the immigrants who have already been living in the U.S. illegally. Those immigrants who have been living in the U.S. for more than five years, who have kids who are American citizens or legal residents, and who register, pass a background check, and agree to pay taxes will be able to apply to stay in the U.S. temporarily.
The President’s action didn’t come without pushback from Republican lawmakers. Soon-to-be Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell said that once the newly-elected members of Congress were seated, they would consider a variety of options for acting on the President’s executive orders. It’s unclear whether a government shutdown would be one of those options, but the president urged GOP lawmakers not to let disagreement over this issue be a dealbreaker on everything else.
Guests:
Reshma Shamasunder, Executive Director, California Immigrant Policy Center, a nonprofit organization that advocate for immigrant rights
Veronica Ascencio, a Pasadena resident who’s been living in the U.S. illegally for the past 23 years; all three of her children are U.S citizens by birth
Jessica Vaughan, Director of Policy Studies, Center for Immigration Studies, a D.C.-based organization that studies the impact of immigration on American society
Jonathan Wilcox, Republican strategist, former speechwriter for Pete Wilson