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| Obama Presses Immigration Bill as Senate Opens Debate | |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| WASHINGTON — With the Senate starting to cast votes on a bill to overhaul the nation’s immigration laws, President Obama on Tuesday made a high-profile pitch for the legislation, saying, “There’s no reason Congress can’t get this done by the end of summer.” | WASHINGTON — With the Senate starting to cast votes on a bill to overhaul the nation’s immigration laws, President Obama on Tuesday made a high-profile pitch for the legislation, saying, “There’s no reason Congress can’t get this done by the end of summer.” |
| “If you’re serious about actually fixing the system, then this is the vehicle to do it,” Mr. Obama said in a speech at the White House. “If you’re not serious about it, if you think that a broken system is the best America can do, then I guess it makes sense to try to block it.” | “If you’re serious about actually fixing the system, then this is the vehicle to do it,” Mr. Obama said in a speech at the White House. “If you’re not serious about it, if you think that a broken system is the best America can do, then I guess it makes sense to try to block it.” |
| It was a carefully choreographed appearance by the president, who has tended to keep a low profile on the immigration issue to avoid stirring partisan opposition on Capitol Hill to a bill that many Republicans regard as crucial to the long-term fortunes of their party. But it also underscored, as Mr. Obama said, that the debate had reached a critical moment. | It was a carefully choreographed appearance by the president, who has tended to keep a low profile on the immigration issue to avoid stirring partisan opposition on Capitol Hill to a bill that many Republicans regard as crucial to the long-term fortunes of their party. But it also underscored, as Mr. Obama said, that the debate had reached a critical moment. |
| Standing in the East Room, Mr. Obama was surrounded by proponents of new immigration laws, including law enforcement officers, business and labor leaders, and young people who would be beneficiaries of the Dream Act, which would provide residency to people who arrived in the United States as minors if they acquired a higher education. | Standing in the East Room, Mr. Obama was surrounded by proponents of new immigration laws, including law enforcement officers, business and labor leaders, and young people who would be beneficiaries of the Dream Act, which would provide residency to people who arrived in the United States as minors if they acquired a higher education. |
| “This bill isn’t perfect; it’s a compromise,” the president said. “And going forward, nobody is going to get everything they want. Not Democrats, not Republicans, not me.” | “This bill isn’t perfect; it’s a compromise,” the president said. “And going forward, nobody is going to get everything they want. Not Democrats, not Republicans, not me.” |
| Speaker John A. Boehner, Republican of Ohio, took to morning television to weigh in on the debate. He said he feared that the Senate bill “doesn’t go far enough.” | Speaker John A. Boehner, Republican of Ohio, took to morning television to weigh in on the debate. He said he feared that the Senate bill “doesn’t go far enough.” |
| Speaking on “Good Morning America” on ABC, Mr. Boehner said he had “real concerns with the Senate bill,” especially on border security and internal enforcement, and he pointed to a similar, nearly parallel process occurring in the House. | Speaking on “Good Morning America” on ABC, Mr. Boehner said he had “real concerns with the Senate bill,” especially on border security and internal enforcement, and he pointed to a similar, nearly parallel process occurring in the House. |
| Mr. Boehner’s remarks came hours before the Senate voted to begin debate on the immigration overhaul. | |
| Speaking on the floor Tuesday morning, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, said that he believed that the nation’s immigration system needed to be fixed, and that he would not prevent the legislation from coming to the floor. | Speaking on the floor Tuesday morning, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, said that he believed that the nation’s immigration system needed to be fixed, and that he would not prevent the legislation from coming to the floor. |
| “I haven’t met anybody who thinks the current immigration system is working,” Mr. McConnell said. “And as an elected leader in my party, it is my view that at least we need to try to improve the situation that as far as I can tell very few people believe is working well.” | “I haven’t met anybody who thinks the current immigration system is working,” Mr. McConnell said. “And as an elected leader in my party, it is my view that at least we need to try to improve the situation that as far as I can tell very few people believe is working well.” |
| Mr. McConnell, however, said that while the legislation drafted by a bipartisan group of eight senators was worth at least debating, he believed it needed to be strengthened. | Mr. McConnell, however, said that while the legislation drafted by a bipartisan group of eight senators was worth at least debating, he believed it needed to be strengthened. |
| “Now it’s time for the Gang of 100 to do its work,” he said, “for the entire Senate to have its say on the issue and see if we can improve the status quo.” | “Now it’s time for the Gang of 100 to do its work,” he said, “for the entire Senate to have its say on the issue and see if we can improve the status quo.” |
| Mr. Obama, in an attempt to allay fears about immigration changes, noted that the bill before the Senate included the tightest border control provisions in American history. He said twice that illegal crossings were “near their lowest levels in decades.” | Mr. Obama, in an attempt to allay fears about immigration changes, noted that the bill before the Senate included the tightest border control provisions in American history. He said twice that illegal crossings were “near their lowest levels in decades.” |
| But the president also insisted on a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants — a provision that has continued to be a sticking point between the senators who drafted the legislation and conservative Republicans, especially in the House. | But the president also insisted on a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants — a provision that has continued to be a sticking point between the senators who drafted the legislation and conservative Republicans, especially in the House. |
| The process, he said, would be long and arduous, requiring people to pay taxes as well as a penalty, learn English, and then go to the back of the line behind applicants for American citizenship who entered the country lawfully. The average wait would be 13 years, he said. | The process, he said, would be long and arduous, requiring people to pay taxes as well as a penalty, learn English, and then go to the back of the line behind applicants for American citizenship who entered the country lawfully. The average wait would be 13 years, he said. |
| “This is no cakewalk,” he said, “but it’s the only way we can make sure that everyone who’s here is playing by the same rules.” | “This is no cakewalk,” he said, “but it’s the only way we can make sure that everyone who’s here is playing by the same rules.” |
| Mr. Boehner said on “Good Morning America” that he expected that the “House bill will be to the right of where the Senate is,” but he would not say whether he expected any legislation that came out of the House to include a path to citizenship for the 11 million illegal immigrants already in the country, as the Senate bill does. He also declined to comment on whether he would bring for a vote an immigration bill that did not have the support of a majority of his conference and would need the help of Democrats to pass — something he has already done, to criticism, several times this year on other issues. | Mr. Boehner said on “Good Morning America” that he expected that the “House bill will be to the right of where the Senate is,” but he would not say whether he expected any legislation that came out of the House to include a path to citizenship for the 11 million illegal immigrants already in the country, as the Senate bill does. He also declined to comment on whether he would bring for a vote an immigration bill that did not have the support of a majority of his conference and would need the help of Democrats to pass — something he has already done, to criticism, several times this year on other issues. |
| That situation, Mr. Boehner said, seems unlikely. “I don’t believe that will be the case,” he said. | That situation, Mr. Boehner said, seems unlikely. “I don’t believe that will be the case,” he said. |
| Among those standing on the dais with Mr. Obama were Thomas J. Donohue, the president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; Julián Castro, the mayor of San Antonio; Steve Case, an entrepreneur and a founder of America Online; William J. Bratton, a former police chief in New York and Los Angeles, and Richard L. Trumka, the president of the A.F.L.-C.I.O. | Among those standing on the dais with Mr. Obama were Thomas J. Donohue, the president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; Julián Castro, the mayor of San Antonio; Steve Case, an entrepreneur and a founder of America Online; William J. Bratton, a former police chief in New York and Los Angeles, and Richard L. Trumka, the president of the A.F.L.-C.I.O. |
| Mr. Obama was introduced by Tolu Olubunmi, a Nigerian-American, who said she was at the White House “as a direct result of the fervent prayers of my father and bold action by the president.” | Mr. Obama was introduced by Tolu Olubunmi, a Nigerian-American, who said she was at the White House “as a direct result of the fervent prayers of my father and bold action by the president.” |