President Peddles Amnesty Yet Again in Second State of the Union, says FAIR

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Jan 26, 2011, 11:21 ET

"Forward Looking" Speech Recycles Rejected Immigration Policy

WASHINGTON, Jan. 26, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- President Obama told the nation last night that "the future is ours to win," and exhorted Congress and the American people to move forward. But, on one vital issue – immigration – the president conspicuously sought to reopen a debate about amnesty for illegal aliens that the American people have rejected repeatedly.

Rather than executing the mandate of the American people to enforce our immigration laws, the President again urged Congress to grant broad amnesty programs for millions of illegal aliens. In the State of the Union address, President Obama called for passage of the DREAM Act – a bill that died in Congress barely a month ago – and sought to make enforcement of our immigration laws contingent on a sweeping amnesty for millions more illegal aliens.

"Over the past decade, there have been numerous attempts to promote amnesty for illegal aliens as the cornerstone of an immigration overhaul," noted Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). "Each time the idea has been proposed, it has been firmly rejected by the American people. Meanwhile, Congress and successive administrations have squandered vital opportunities to enact reforms that are supported by the overwhelming majority of Americans."

During the address, President Obama pledged to secure our borders and enforce America's immigration laws despite a record to the contrary. Since taking office, his administration has systematically dismantled interior enforcement and neglected border security. And while the President stressed the need to get Americans back to work, his administration continues to reduce worksite enforcement designed to prevent illegal aliens from occupying jobs that unemployed Americans desperately need.

"Throughout his address, President Obama called on Democrats and Republicans to come together to achieve consensus in the interests of the American people," Stein noted. "On immigration, there is broad consensus for enforcement of laws against illegal aliens filling millions of American jobs, for securing our borders, enlisting the aid of state and local police, and for alleviating the massive burdens imposed on American taxpayers by mass illegal immigration. Those are the reforms that the American people want and expect the administration and the new Congress to accomplish, not push another effort to grant amnesty to illegal aliens.

"The way forward on immigration is to enact policies that finally place the interests of the American people and the security of our nation paramount," concluded Stein.

FAIR has just released its Immigration Reform Agenda for the 112th Congress detailing much needed initiatives to stop illegal immigration, reduce excessive levels of legal immigration and enhance national security. The full report is available at www.fairus.org/112th_agenda.

About FAIR

Founded in 1979, FAIR is the country's largest immigration reform group. With over 250,000 members nationwide, FAIR fights for immigration policies that serve national interests, not special interests. FAIR believes that immigration reform must enhance national security, improve the economy, protect jobs, preserve our environment, and establish a rule of law that is recognized and enforced.

SOURCE FAIR