by Peter Nicholas and Peter Wallsten
White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said today that there is not enough support in Congress now to pass a comprehensive immigration bill providing a path to citizenship for the nation's illegal immigrants, though he would not rule out adoption of such a measure by the 2010 elections.
Speaking at a breakfast meeting with Washington-based reporters, Emanuel said one of the reasons the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and proponents of an immigration overhaul asked for a meeting at the White House later today "is because the votes aren't there.''
"If the votes were there, you wouldn't need to have the meeting,'' Emanuel said. "You'd go to a roll call (vote).''
Emanuel's comments at a Christian Science Monitor-sponsored breakfast came just hours before President Barack Obama was scheduled to host a bipartisan gathering of lawmakers involved in the issue.
The White House has described today's meeting at 2 pm EDT as a working session -- beginning a conversation on what type of legislation to pursue. Obama and his aides have studiously avoided making promises on a timeline for passage or on the fine details of what the measure will say.
Immigrant advocates and some leaders from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus want the White House to press this year for a plan that would include a path to citizenship for the approximately 12 million immigrants believed to be living in the country illegally.
As a candidate for president, Obama supported a citizenship plan and said he would make the issue a top priority during his first year in office - prompting some Latino leaders to warn that he risks breaking a promise if there is no revision this year.
Emanuel said the president would use today's meeting to discuss some administrative steps that have been taken to give immigrants a clearer picture of their legal status. Through improved record-keeping, people will be able to go on-line to quickly learn where their applications stand, he said.
Emanuel rejected the notion that an immigration overhaul is dead if no bill passes this year.
"If it doesn't happen in the next two months, I don't think that means it doesn't happen between now and 2010,'' said Emanuel, a former Democratic congressional leader from Chicago. "That's just my view. I don't buy that, particularly.''
A backlash from the Latino community is unlikely, he said.
Politically, Obama stands to gain from passage of an immigration bill, Emanuel acknowledged. That said, he added. "The president is communicating with the Hispanic community and I have seen enough data to say he's doing as strong today as he was on Election Day - as are the Democrats.''
According to the White House, this is who is attending this afternoon's meeting on immigration reform:
Below is a list of expected attendees at today's meeting on immigration reform:
ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS:
Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano
Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis
Deputy Attorney General David Ogden
Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel
MEMBERS OF CONGRESS:
Senator Richard Durbin
Senator John Cornyn
Senator Dianne Feinstein
Senator Lindsey Graham
Senator Jon Kyl
Senator Patrick Leahy
Senator Mel Martinez
Senator John McCain
Senator Robert Menendez
Senator Chuck Schumer
Senator Jeff Sessions
Senator Arlen Specter
Representative Xavier Becerra
Representative Howard Berman
Representative Anh Cao
Representative James Clyburn
Representative John Conyers
Representative Joe Crowley
Representative Lincoln Diaz Balart
Representative Gabrielle Giffords
Representative Luis Gutierrez
Representative Sheila Jackson Lee
Representative Zoe Lofgren
Representative Adam Putnam
Representative Silvestre Reyes
Representative Loretta Sanchez
Representative Heath Shuler
Representative Lamar Smith
Representative Nydia Velazquez
Representative Anthony Weiner









Comments
Not identifying E-Verify as the perfect tool to extract illegal immigrants from the workplace, doesn't wash with the American worker anymore? The once great US Chamber of Commerce, compliant with the ACLU, and other anti-sovereignty factions, have pushed our soft politicians to null E-Verify. Sen. Harry Reid(D-NV), House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) have lost a great deal of public loyalty, because between them, they manufactured excuses to undermine any new law that enforced our weak immigration laws? Chief of Homeland Security is Napolitano who joined the other pathetic Senators, to stealthily direct ICE not to implement large immigration raids anymore. This has also been noticed by the public audience in the months since inheriting the office from Chertoff. By no means are these the legislators who are stating they are supporting E-Verify, or any other immigration law, but in actual fact voting against it.
Their attitude shows up distinctly when they keep voting E-Verify being delayed for Federal contractors who of all people should be using it. It displays their complete apathetic when politicians allow 300.000 illegal workers, making use of Stimulus money in the construction industry. The 1986 Immigration Act has never been enforced, it has always been fully jeopardized and now the politicians want to replace it, by enacting another AMNESTY. Amendments to the 1986 Simpson/Mazzoli bill is all that's required to add strength, to our border security and internal enforcement.
Even any new health care for the American people is compromised by the illegal alien pestilence, because a great portion of the uninsured in our nation are these people heading in large numbers to emergency hospitals. In the decades since Europe saw the ingress of illegal immigrants into their countries, they have seen medical care sink in the quality of service, including rationing. Here in America health care has also been disparaged by added forced mandated laws, that illegal people must be attended to, for even the common cold--which becomes yet another financial impediment to the legal population. It's just sheer madness on the part of the open border globalists, to keep feeding the country with millions of cheap labor. The burden for these services has never been financially appropriated from the businesses that employ foreign labor, but--ALWAYS--from the US taxpayer.
We have been brain-washed by the media and government that there are only 11 million illegal people who have violated our laws, whoever this is far from the truth. We can not afford for another AMNESTY to succeed, and must fight back tooth and nail? It's enactment would terrify the most conservative of financial analysts, of even larger obligation on every taxpayer. Of all the immigration tools at our disposal, we must not let our government exempt E-Verify from our ordinance. It should mandated in every human resources office that--ALL ERRORS-- can be reconciled, after being hired at the Social Security agencies.
President Obama has adamantly promised illegal aliens who knew the consequences of violating our border, a path to citizenship. Sorry! But the costs of this travesty cannot be even imagined. This is absolutely "Taxation without Representation" for like many laws that quietly fall upon the American taxpayer it is ethically wrong. Just addressing the OVERPOPULATION concept should be enough for--THE PEOPLE--to bombard your Senators and Congressman. Facts, statistics at NUMBERSUSA.
Posted by: Brittancus | June 25, 2009 2:33 PM
Hey, Emanuel, you were so lucky to get into White House (by accident),
So sit quiet!
We all know that you are an enemy of immigrants. We do not need another proof.
"...the president would use the meeting to discuss some administrative steps..."
The president would use the meeting to discuss IMMIGRATION REFORM, you idiot!
"A backlash from the Latino community is unlikely..."
You will have such backlash, you will not believe! Not only from Latino community, but from ALL immigrants who can vote.
All congressional leaders say they have more than enough votes to pass the bill, but you know better, of course.
So just shut $$$ up!
Posted by: Karl | June 25, 2009 3:17 PM
"Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me"
The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 signed by President Ronald Reagan on November 6, 1986) is an Act of Congress which reformed United States immigration law. The Act made it illegal to knowingly hire or recruit illegal immigrants (immigrants who do not possess lawful work authorization), required employers to attest to their employees' immigration status, and granted amnesty to certain illegal immigrants who entered the United States before January 1, 1982 and had resided there continuously. The Act also granted amnesty to several million illegal aliens, and its proponents promised (PROMISED) the American public that that would be the last (LAST) amnesty granted.
Although the 1986 amnesty resulted in 2.7 million illegal's being legalized, over 10 million were actually legalized after they brought their families over.
Pres. Obama meets today (6/25) with a bi-partisan group from Congress to "jump-start" plans to pass a giant amnesty for 12-20 million illegal aliens and their extended families, another 48-80 million.
Why, for heaven's sake, would Obama and Congress want to makes things even worse on America's 14 million unemployed (which is actually much larger including those whose benefits ran out, etc.)?
Stop the Amnesty - Join NumbersUSA.com
Call the White House today!
Those who come here illegally, steal our IDs and ignore our laws have already demonstrated they lack the honesty and decency to ever become American citizens.
a.) Enforce the existing immigration laws.
b.) Secure the border.
c.) Don't hire illegal aliens.
d.) No anchor babies.
e.) Deportation through attrition.
Posted by: helen | June 26, 2009 7:33 AM
This is just a dog and pony show. It's throwing the ethnic race and business groups a bone. BO must "appear" to be doing something, it's a distraction while the hand you don't see passes Cap and Tax and "card check". Meanwhile, this will never pass. He knows it but uses the issue to shore up support for the next election. The Dems have done this to blacks for 40 years, still they line up to vote on empty promises they dream will one day happen.
Posted by: Jimi | June 26, 2009 11:51 AM
I agree with Helen...Those who come here illegally, steal our IDs and ignore our laws have already demonstrated they lack the honesty and decency to ever become American citizens.
a.) Enforce the existing immigration laws.
b.) Secure the border.
c.) Don't hire illegal aliens.
d.) No anchor babies.
e.) Deportation through attrition.
We have our own troubles and don't need those of other countries. We don't need religious wars or culture change...we need the USA
Posted by: cindylou | July 3, 2009 4:43 PM
I agree with Helen...Those who come here illegally, steal our IDs and ignore our laws have already demonstrated they lack the honesty and decency to ever become American citizens.
a.) Enforce the existing immigration laws.
b.) Secure the border.
c.) Don't hire illegal aliens.
d.) No anchor babies.
e.) Deportation through attrition.
We have our own troubles and don't need those of other countries. We don't need religious wars or culture change...we need the USA
Posted by: cindylou | July 4, 2009 12:57 PM