11 million people are waiting to be "regularized" and immigration reform is on the line

11 million people are waiting to be "regularized". Immigration reform is on the line. Behind the 11 million illegal immigrants, people see the pale promises of politicians and the considerable minority...

On the 29th local time, in Las Vegas, the “Sin City” where ethnic minorities abound, U.S. President Obama vowed to speed up the realization of the “American Dream” for 11 million illegal immigrants.

In fact, immigration reform, along with health care reform and financial reform, are known as the three major historical tasks of Obama's administration. As expected, Obama dedicated his first domestic trip of his second term to the issue of immigration reform. He said that the failure to achieve immigration law reform in his first term was his biggest failure.

Just the day before, the 28th, important members of both parties in the U.S. Senate announced a framework plan for immigration reform. At present, it seems that immigration reform in the world's number one immigrant country is on the verge of completion.

How do illegal immigrants become naturalized?

"It's time." Obama said, "We cannot allow immigration reform to stall in endless debates." He said that his patience with Congress is limited, and if Congress does not pass the previously proposed immigration reform package, he will ask lawmakers to vote on the White House's more permissive immigration plan.

The goal of Obama's immigration reform is to prevent the influx of new illegal immigrants while providing a path to naturalization for illegal immigrants already in the United States. He also proposed that immigration policies favor science and engineering talents and entrepreneurs investing in the United States.

To this end, Obama proposed four principles: strengthening border security, cracking down on the employment of illegal immigrants, providing naturalization pathways for illegal immigrants, and improving the efficiency of the immigration system.

According to his reform proposals, illegal immigrants must register with the government, pass relevant examinations and pay fines to obtain transitional status. Illegal immigrants who have obtained transitional status must wait until all existing legal immigration applications have been processed before they can begin applying for permanent residency (green cards) and, ultimately, naturalization. Illegal immigrants who came to the United States illegally as children can speed up the process by attending school or joining the military.

"We define ourselves as a country of immigrants." Obama said, "This allows us to have a young workforce, cutting-edge technology, and create the greatest economic engine in history."

At the same time, politically, after experiencing the last few elections, both the Democratic and Republican parties have fully recognized the rise of the power of immigrants - Latinos have now become the fastest-growing group of voters. Various polls show that among minority groups, including Latinos, African Americans and even Asians, the Democratic Party has a much higher support rate than the Republican Party. This is particularly obvious for Obama, who is a minority president.

Obama's plan is roughly consistent with the immigration reform framework previously introduced by a bipartisan Senate group led by Democratic Senator Schumer and Republican Senator John McCain. The plan proposes that most illegal immigrants will be eligible to enter the legal status review period after registering with government departments, passing background checks, and paying fines and any outstanding taxes. Those with criminal records or who pose a threat to the United States will be deported. Republicans struggle to move forward

As always, obstacles to the realization of Obama's political ambitions remained in Congress, and they remained so until he delivered his speech.

In fact, among conservative Republicans, there have been concerns about excessive relaxation of immigration restrictions. One of the most contentious issues is whether illegal immigrants must wait until U.S.-Mexico border security and other enforcement measures are in place to obtain green cards.

"It must be clear from the beginning that there is a correct path to citizenship." Obama said on the 29th that the government has significantly promoted the implementation of specific measures. Some key Republican lawmakers believe that any immigration proposal that is not linked to border security will breed a more serious illegal immigration problem.

Republican Senator Marco Bio, considered a possible candidate in the 2016 presidential election, said: "Without these, we will be back to the situation we were in a few years ago when dealing with millions of newborns without birth certificates."

In addition, many Republicans in the House of Representatives are strongly skeptical of any legislation that may be too generous to illegal immigrants. "There are many ideas about how best to stabilize our broken immigration system," said Brendan Barker, spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner. "We hope the president will be careful not to drag the debate to the left and ultimately unravel the difficult work of the House and Senate."

Just a year ago, during the Republican presidential primaries, the topic of immigration occupied a large space. Since Obama won the election in November last year, many Republicans have realized the seriousness of the immigration issue.

During last year's election campaign, Obama said at a rally of Latino officials across the country that if he won the election, he would promote comprehensive immigration reform. He emphasized at that time that as long as certain conditions were met, about 800,000 illegal immigrants who came to the United States as children would be allowed to stay in the United States. In the end, Obama won the support of more than 70% of Latinos and Asian Americans.