The Predictable Conclusion of Obama’s Immigration Speech

Jena McNeill / May 10, 2011

The President gave a speech this afternoon where he expressed the need to fix America’s broken immigration system.

He had a lot of good things to say about immigration. For instance, the President emphasized the positive effects of immigration, stating, “It doesn’t matter where you came from; what matters is that you believe in the ideals on which we were founded; that you believe all of us are equal and deserve the freedom to pursue happiness.” True. No disagreement here.

He also emphasized that reforms in legal immigration “will also help make America more competitive in the global economy.” Again, Mr. President, kudos for supporting reforms in a poorly run legal immigration system.

He made valid points about the border—including investments in manpower, fencing, and technologies that are making the border more secure.

The conclusion of his speech, however, was incredibly predictable yet disappointing nonetheless. The President again proposed an amnesty for the 11 million illegal immigrants inside the United States, something he has done twice a year since he was elected. We tried the amnesty route in 1986, and not only did it not work, but it made the problem worse. (more…)