Democrats and Republicans coming together on Immigration Reform?

Op Ed by Isabel Framer

As I have continued to follow immigration, I’m very excited to see that there is broad agreement on both sides of the aisle and among our citizens that US-America’s immigration system is broken and needs to be fixed in a comprehensive and common sense way. 

I am heartened and applaud the efforts of the eight senators that are working together in a bipartisan fashion to build a fair, effective immigration system that lives up to our heritage as a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws. This effort, along with recent comments from legislators on both sides of the aisle, signals that both Parties are willing to come to the table and work towards a comprehensive solution.

Isabel Framer

I also thank and applaud President Barack Obama for making immigration reform a top agenda item for the first year of his second term and for working on and providing key markers for Congress as they craft their legislation that builds upon principles and ideas supported by Democrats like Ted Kennedy and Republicans like former President George W. Bush.

As someone that has always supported President Obama, I knew that he would do everything in his power to keep his promise to reform our immigration system. Democrats and Republicans should be able to agree with the people and the President that it is now time to fix our broken system and that when employers game the system by hiring undocumented workers and that separating families betrays US-American core values, and when 11 million people are forced to live in the shadows, our economy and our country suffer. 

On February 12, 2013, the President will deliver his first State of the Union address of his second term. Among other pressing issues also facing our country, he will be addressing immigration reform. Senator Rubio has been designated to deliver the Republican State of the Union response right after the President. 

I know that we have had some rocky times during the election season with not only Republicans who opposed immigration reform but also with Senator Marco Rubio, however, I look forward to hearing his response with both an open mind and a sense of urgency. Choosing Senator Marco Rubio to deliver the Republican response to the State of the Union is an opportunity for the Republican Party to tell the people of the United States how both sides are working together to fix our broken immigration system, to reinforce the shared agreement to create a path to earned citizenship for undocumented immigrants and to describe why this needs to happen in a comprehensive, commonsense approach.

Senator Rubio comes from a family of immigrants himself—like many of us—he has both the chance and the responsibility to show the country we are on the right path together and that we need all our citizens to support this effort so I am truly looking forward to his comments.

Isabel Framer is president and CEO of Language Access Consultants, LLC.

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Revised: 02/12/13 19:31:00 -0800.