Napolitano Speaks on Immigration Reform
As reported by the American Immigration Council, Janet Napolitano delivered her first detailed speech today on immigration reform. She indicated that the security and enforcement measures that have been undertaken have revealed that “the more work we do, the more it becomes clear that the laws themselves need to be reformed.”
She further commented, “DHS is ready to implement reform”, according to the Secretary who noted, “We’ve ended a year-long backlog for background checks on applicants for green-cards and naturalization. We’ve expanded the opportunity for a widow to gain legal status here, despite the untimely death of her US citizen spouse. We’ve launched a new interactive website that allows people to receive information about the status of their immigration cases by email or text message, and we have reduced the time it takes to process those cases.”
Another positive message she conveyed was: “Businesses must be able to find the workers they need here in America, rather than having to move overseas. Immigrants need to be able to plan their lives – they need to now that once we reform the laws, we’re going to have a system that works, and that the contours of our immigration laws will last. And they need to know that they will have as many responsibilities as they do rights…This Administration does not shy away from taking on the big challenges of the 21 Century, challenges that have been ignored too long and hurt our families and businesses.”
An interesting comment by Ben Johnson, Executive Director of the American Immigration Council who attended the speech today noted, “Napolitano’s speech today evidenced a real understanding by the Administration of the comprehensive policy prescriptions necessary to reform a broken system…..Her clear statement on the value of immigrants to our society and economy, and the important role that immigration reform can play in building a foundation for growth and prosperity is a welcome response to the angry, misinformed rhetoric that has otherwise clouded the debate on immigration.”
We link to the video of Secretary Napolitano’s speech
Tags: American Immigration Council, Comprehensive Immigration Reform, Department Of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration Legislation, Immigration Reform, janet napolitano