Speaking on the issue of immigration reform Friday morning the Center for American Progress , Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano explained that many of the benchmarks Congress set in 2007 for border security have been met.
In addition, she said that the Obama administration has made significant strides towards enforcement reforms over the past 10 months. The secretary stressed that immigration reform is necessary and that a fair and tough path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants already in the U.S. is critical.
Napolitano has met with stakeholders from across the country including labor leaders who, “have made clear to me, immigration reform will be a boon to American workers. Think about it: unions will never achieve the best terms for workers when a large part of the workforce is illegal and operates in a shadow economy. By contrast, the status quo not only hurts American workers, it also stifles potential opportunities to grow our economy.”
She pointed out how difficult the current laws can be on families – specifically families of mixed legal status.
Napolitano is looking towards the future and a chance for immigration reform. “At the end of the day, when it comes to immigration, people need to be able to trust the system. Americans need to know that their government is committed to enforcing the law and securing the border—and that it takes this responsibility seriously. Law enforcement needs to have better legal tools and the necessary resources to deal with border-related and immigration-related crime. Businesses must be able 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 know 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.”
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